Warrior Blood
by tickledblue
Summary: (after Fairy Blood) Tania has fled to Kyrria. She now works for a captain, disguised as a boy. And then comes that irritatingly charming Crown Prince.
1. Tania, Viper, and Nalyan

A/N:

Continuation to Fairy Blood! You don't have to read that story to understand what's going on in this one. But there were will be random moments when you will be kind of confused (if you haven't read it). I would put in responses from chapter 15's reviews, but I'm excited to post this. ) Anyway, read on...

A more detailed summary:

Tania has been living in Kyrria for a couple of months now. She hasn't seen anyone from Geldrin ever since. She has put her past life behind her. Everyone in the city thinks she's human, and even _she_ has ignored her true heritage. She keeps telling herself day by day that she is a human, and not a fairy.

She now works as an apprentice for Devlin's captain, who had taken her under his wing many months ago. He has taught her many things with the sword, and she has improved very impressively.

She is no longer the helpless little girl who always had to be rescued by a certain, blond-haired youth. She is now a great fighter, one that is respected by many.

Chapter One

She held the sword professionally with both hands and a perfect stance: knees slightly bent, one foot in front of the other. She knitted her brow as small beads of sweat poured down her forehead. She set her mind in deep concentration as she stared at the opponent before her, challenging him with one steely look.

_Round three, _she thought.

All of a sudden, the boy—actually, more like young man (he was nineteen, after all)—before her leaped forward, clashing his sword with hers. She met his blow with almost equal strength and held her position as he tried to bring her down.

But she wasn't that easy to beat. She was holding on quite well. The trick was to not lose footing. Her opponent was using his physical strength, and she knew that he was much stronger than her. Luckily, she was more agile. She had a quick footing, as her instructor always said. And this she used to her advantage. She never liked strength versus strength battles anyway.

In one quick movement, she swooped her sword gracefully underneath, then aimed nimbly for his neck. Her opponent, however, was an experienced swordsman; hence he was able to recover from the sudden change. He blocked her attack, but waveringly. Had he acted a split second later, she would have won.

"Almost lost there, didn't you Lucas?" she said haughtily as she skilfully brought him one powerful attack after another.

Lucas smiled as he blocked her vertical cut. "You don't have to act so arrogant about it, Nalyan," he said, calling her by the nickname he had given her months ago. "Fighting isn't your life, you know."

"Yes, it is!" she exclaimed hotly as she aimed a kick at his head. He ducked instantly, then blocked her other kick with his wrist.

"Oh, really?" he said as he then aimed for her abdomen. She quickly avoided it by stepping to the side. "Four months ago, you had no idea how to use a sword."

"I did to!" she said angrily as she ducked his swiping attack. Crouched down, she aimed straight for his…erm…manhood. He yelped and blocked it in time.

"Are you insane?!" he cried out loud. "You could have castrated me!"

"Well, you blocked it!" she argued as she blocked his four angry and consecutive attacks. "Besides, I would have stopped the attack in time if the need arose."

He snorted as he swiped for her left knee. She jumped in time, and his sword swiped nothing but air. "You're crazy, you know that?" he said.

She grinned impishly at him. "I've known that since forever." She advanced towards him as she sent him one quick attack after another, which he blocked. "But you know what they say: craziness often coincides with bravery."

"Whoever said something like that?"

She swiped for his neck, and when he ducked to avoid it, she instantly kicked him straight on the head. She did another powerful kick by his knees, and he fell to the ground. She raised her sword and aimed for the crown of his head, but he blocked it in time.

She had the advantage now. A big rule when sword fighting: stay off the ground as much as you can. When you're on the ground, you're at a weaker position.

This case wasn't any different. In three deft and consecutive moves, she had her sword pointed at his neck. It wasn't easy; she had to use all of her nimbleness to outmanoeuvre his moves.

But she succeeded in the end. She smiled devilishly at him as he remained still on the ground, staring at the pointed end.

"Me," she said.

His blue-green eyes met her brown ones. "What?"

"_I_ said something like that," she replied as she drew away her sword from his neck. "When you're crazy, you have nothing to fear. When you have nothing to fear, you're brave."

"That's poor theory," he said, getting up from the dusty ground.

"But it works," she shot back as she sheathed her sword. "At least for me."

"You have nothing to fear?" he inquired. He smirked. "That's hard to believe. What about death? Are you not afraid of that?"

"I'm not exactly easy to kill."

He snorted. "Very modest, Nalyan."

She rolled her eyes. "I wasn't basing it on my skill with a sword."

"Then what were you basing it on?"

She remained silent. She couldn't answer that without telling him who she was, could she? No, she couldn't. And there was no reason for telling him. Her past was behind her now. She had a new life, a new identity. She wasn't Tania, the fairy daughter of two deceased parents. She was Tania, the apprentice of Devlin's captain.

She suddenly heard hearty applause from behind. She whirled around and saw the person himself.

He was a tall man with a rugged appearance. He was rather handsome, even more so if he got rid of that beard of his. Actually, his beard wasn't bad; it was a tidy golden beard, but Tania knew he would look way better if he got rid of it. When she told him that, he just scoffed. "Don't want ladies running after me," he had said. She decided not to pester him after that.

Yes, Bill Farvon was one devoted captain. He was so devoted that he didn't have time to court ladies when he was at the marrying age. He seemed to be in his very late twenties, and he was still single. Not that he cared anyway. He was satisfied with his life.

Everyone in Devlin turned to him whenever there was trouble. He was a feared man to criminals and a respected man to citizens. He had power, but he wasn't one to abuse it. He had taken Tania as his apprentice almost four months ago, when he found out that she had no family to go to.

And yes, this is the same Bill Farvon that Tania had read about in the encyclopaedia. The same fearsome warrior who earned his way to be mentioned in books. He wasn't one to take in just _anybody _as apprentices, which made Tania wonder why he never hesitated to take _her _in. She never bothered to ask, though she suspected that it was because of her sex. He probably wanted a challenge or something.

"Bill!" Tania exclaimed in surprise. "I did not see you there."

"You weren't supposed to," he replied, "and for the last time, Tania, it's _Farvon_."

She shook her head. "I don't understand why you hate the name 'Bill'. What's wrong with it, huh?"

"It's not warrior-like, enough said."

She burst out laughing. "Well, I think it's a nice name, Bill."

Her master scowled, but said nothing. Lucas watched the exchange, disbelief etched in his face.

"I don't believe it!" he suddenly burst out.

Tania gave him a curious look. "What?"

"First time I called him Bill, he almost murdered me. And _you_, four months later of calling him by that wretched name…and you're still alive!"

She grinned. "Well, first of all, it's not a wretched name. And second of all, maybe he has a soft spot for _good _fighters."

Farvon shook his head. "Lucas is also a good fighter, Tania. But keep in mind that I tolerate you more with the name issue because you're a girl."

Tania scowled instantly at that. "You do realize that you just insulted me, Farvon? Just because I'm a _girl _doesn't mean I'm weak. Let me remind you that I've only been your apprentice for four months, and I've already beaten Lucas a couple of time times, who has been your apprentice for nearly a year. So don't you dare treat me or acknowledge me as some…pathetic weakling!"

Her instructor held up his hands in defeat. "All right, all right," he said, sighing. "I did not mean to offend you. But if it makes you feel any better, I'm impressed, especially with today's duel. You really are a good fighter, at least in the sword fighting area."

"She is," Lucas admitted. He shot Tania a look. "What's your demon?"

Tania raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"People who work themselves to death have an inner demon," he said simply. "I've watched you work yourself to death for four months straight, practising from dawn to dusk. What are you trying to forget? What is it that you're trying to push to the back of your mind?"

_More like trying to remove from my mind, _she thought wryly._ I don't want my past anywhere, not even at the back of my mind. _

She shrugged at her fellow companion. "I just want to be a good fighter," she said. "That's it."

He scoffed. "Do you expect me to believe that?"

"Not really," she admitted, "but I'm not telling you anything."

"Fine." He scowled. "You do realize that that was a blow for me? Don't you trust me?"

Tania rolled her eyes. "I do, you're like a big brother to me, but…oh, don't give me that look!"

"What look?" he asked innocently.

"If-I-give-this-look-I'll-make-Tania-feel-guilty look!" she cried angrily.

"Is it working, Nalyan?" he asked with a grin.

She scowled. "No."

He sighed. "Fine." He turned to his master. "Do you need us, _Farvon_?"

"Actually, yes," Farvon replied. "There has been a brawl at the Dragonfire Inn, and during the fight, someone stole a valuable necklace from one of the guests. I need you to question everyone involved…the works, Lucas. Do you understand? Once you and Tania are done, give the report to me, and I'll take care of the rest."

Lucas nodded. "All right." He turned to Tania. "Let's go."

"Wait!" Tania cried out. "I have to change first. I'll be quick." She headed inside the small, simple house she shared with Lucas and Farvon.

She changed into black breeches and a black button-up shirt. She put on her black cloak, tied her wavy, shoulder-length hair (which she cut months ago) into a tight bun, and pulled the hood up. She then put on her black manly boots. Finishing touch was the mask she tied on. It was a black mask that covered from the bridge of her nose and down.

She stepped out, and both men turned to look at her. Lucas groaned.

"I don't understand this whole secret identity thing," he said. "Why don't you just show your face? I know you're ugly, but..."

Tania rolled her eyes, the only features visible on her face. "In case you've forgotten, Lucas, society does not do well with females holding a sword. If they find out that _I _am a girl, they won't take me seriously anymore. People will mock and scorn me. Especially the criminals we're after. Instead of fearing me, they'd laugh at me. And we don't want that, do we?"

Lucas shrugged. "I guess…but…aren't you hot in that?"

"Not really. It's no longer summer, Lucas."

Farvon spoke up. "Get going, you two."

Lucas nodded and fixed his sword belt. "All right." He grinned suddenly. "Hey…maybe I should have a disguise as well. I hear that girls like mysterious guys." He looked at Tania. "What do you think?"

"If you like having girls chase after you, then sure," she said, shrugging. "I personally don't like the experience. It tempts me to take off my mask every time."

"Hmm…but wait! If I wear a disguise, how will they see my astonishingly good looks?" he said seriously.

Tania groaned and pushed him out of the way. "One more word of arrogance, and I'll tell Cindy all of your embarrassing moments."

Lucas' eyes widened as he watched his partner walk away. "I'll shut up now!" he said, going after her. "I promise!"

"Good!"

Farvon shook his head as he watched the two walk away. They would really pass off as brother and sister. Both already had the attributes.

* * *

Lucas and Tania were done with the report. They had received amazing details from all the witnesses, and they were sure that Farvon would be pleased. They walked through the city of Devlin, report being kept by Lucas.

They passed by a huge crowd of people. They were surrounding a wooden stage, where two duellers were sparring. One man Tania recognized as Alvinn, a regular sparer (though he wasn't very good). He was a middle-aged weapon maker. He made good weapons, especially daggers, but Caelan's weapons were much better. Too bad Tania was never able to get that sword she wanted.

The other man she didn't recognize. Tania suspected him to be a traveller, just crossing the city. His sword was impressive. It looked like it should belong to a duke, which was odd since the man was dressed in commoner's clothes, close to peasant's clothes.

She observed the man as he fought Alvinn. He was strong…very strong, actually. But he was too slow. And his left foot was clumsy. He hadn't perfectly mastered the defence stance yet. However, he was above mediocre.

He beat Alvinn in no time. A few people from the crowd cheered, while a few groaned. Payments were made here and there. Tania smirked as she watched the man raise his sword triumphantly in the air, grinning smugly at the crowd.

_Confident, _she thought.

"Which one of you poor losers will come next?" he bellowed.

_Very confident._

A man from the crowd (who had betted on Alvinn) suddenly turned, his eyes meeting Lucas's, then Tania's. His lips curved into a smirk. "Lucas or Viper can beat you!" he announced confidently. "And none of them will even break a sweat!"

The crowd turned and saw Tania and Lucas. They whispered to each other excitedly. The victorious man on the stage met Tania's eyes, and he shot her a cold, challenging look. Tania raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"Viper! Lucas! One of you! Fight for us!" someone yelled.

Tania turned to Lucas and gave him a look. Lucas raised an eyebrow and shot her a defiant stare. Tania rolled her eyes and sighed. Lucas shrugged.

The audience had no idea that these two were conversing. However, they waited patiently and quietly as the two talked to each other with body language.

Tania frowned at him. Lucas sighed again, then held up a closed hand. It was Tania's turn to sigh. She let out a grudging one and held up her own closed hand.

They shook their fists two times, and on the third and last time, Lucas's kept his hand closed, while Tania opened hers, fingers spread out.

Triumph flooded her eyes. "Ha!" she cried out.

Lucas groaned and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Why do I always lose in rock, paper, scissors?" he mumbled.

"Because I'm better than you at anything," she joked lightly.

He rolled his eyes. "Just don't hurt the poor guy too much," he said. "And don't aim for his nuts."

"Why, I would never!" Tania said mockingly. She smiled (though it wasn't visible) and mock saluted her partner. "See you in a bit!"

She walked towards the crowd. Applause and cheers broke out, with people yelling out, "Go, Viper! Go, Viper!" Bets were made here and there, and almost everyone was rooting for Viper. Some were talking animatedly to each other, saying, "The guy has no chance. Let's just hope that Viper goes easy on him."

Tania calmly walked up the steps and stood confidently on the stage. She crossed her arms as her opponent studied her. She saw that he was a tall man, almost a foot taller than her. And he had a strong frame.

"You're Viper?" he asked. He eyed her up and down, disgust evident in his dark eyes. He was clearly not impressed.

Tania scowled. "In the flesh," she growled, making sure the tone of her voice was a few pitches lower.

He rolled his eyes. "_You're _Viper? You're nothing but a scrawny little boy! How old are you? Thirteen? Fourteen? Hell, your voice hasn't even broken yet!" he sneered. "You're not worth my time, kid."

"My age doesn't matter," Tania said coolly. She unsheathed her sword. "Shall we get started?"

"I'm going to crush you like an ant," he boasted.

"Oh, really?" she said, danger in her voice. "You better make sure your left foot doesn't get in the way then."

"What are you talking about?!" he demanded.

"Your left foot," she said calmly. "You put too much weight on it. Balance is important, you know."

"YOU BRAT!" the man screamed, furious at being criticized. He lunged at her angrily, giving the first attack.

Tania blocked his attack easily, though she was somewhat surprised at the strength in it. However, she maintained her focus as he gave attack after attack. He was angry, that she knew. She could almost see smoke flaring out of his nostrils. She almost laughed at the mental image.

"No, no," she said as she blocked his attacks, "don't shift with your left foot! That's your weakness, so try not to put all your weight in it!"

The man growled at her. "Shut up! I know what I'm doing!"

She shrugged. "Fine, fine," she said wearily. She swiped at his shoulder, which he blocked. She then did a twisting motion and aimed for his male part, ignoring Lucas's loud "Why do I even bother?!" comment.

Tania's opponent gave an incredulous look, but said nothing.

"You're still being clumsy with your left foot," Tania said. "That could cost you."

"SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP, YOU BRAT!" he hollered angrily.

"I'm sorry!" she replied. "I'm just trying to help." She aimed a kick at his stomach, but he sidestepped. He then raised his sword and swiped at her neck, but Tania ducked. When she did, she kicked the back of his left leg. The man yelped and crashed instantly to the wooden floor. Since he was slow, he didn't have time to stop Tania from pointing her sword to his chest.

"Told you it would cost you," she said quietly. "Had you not put all your weight in your left foot, you would have only stumbled a bit, instead of falling down." She then drew her sword away and sheathed it back to its scabbard.

The crowd, after a moment of silence, broke into loud cheers. Tania shrugged and calmly left the stage. She avoided the audience, in fear of someone pulling her hood off and taking off her mask. She knew that many people wanted to see her facial features.

She approached Lucas, who was giving her a curious look. She turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You could have beaten him in five moves. Why didn't you do it?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I wanted to give him a chance to correct his footing. Didn't appreciate my advice though."

"You were kind of being smug about it."

"You would have been too," she countered. "The guy's a jackass. He looked at me as if I was a speck of mud on a polished boot."

He sighed. "We should be going now." He shoved his hands into his pockets and started to walk away.

Tania followed after him. "How did I do?" she asked.

"Like how you always do," he replied smoothly. "You did well."

She smiled. "Thanks."

"Though I wonder if you have something against men in general."

"What do you mean?"

"Did you see how the men from the audience cringed when you did that move?" He looked at Tania's blank and clueless face. "Didn't think so."

He calmly walked on.

* * *

"Glad you're here!" Farvon said, taking the report. "I have news."

"What about?" Tania asked as she took off her cloak and mask and placed them on a chair. She pulled out another chair and sat on it.

"I got a letter from the king, and he wants me to go to Frell."

This caught his apprentices' attention. Lucas looked very interested.

"Really?" he said. "What for?"

"King Charmont wants me to be one of the judges for the Autumn Fest Tournament."

Lucas's eyes widened. "You're joking!"

Farvon raised an eyebrow. "Why would I joke about something like that?"

Lucas groaned. "It's an expression, Farvon. Anyway, I've always wanted to join the tournament."

"It's not just a tournament, Lucas," Farvon said firmly. "This is _the _tournament. Everyone from all corners of this continent is coming to compete. The best warriors will be participating."

"I know, I know," Lucas said impatiently. "But I still want to join! Can I join, Farvon?"

Farvon sighed. "If you wish. We're leaving in a few days, so start packing."

"Yes!" Lucas cried out. He bolted to his room, no doubt wanting to pack.

Farvon and Tania were alone now. She turned to her teacher, who was smoking his pipe and reading the letter. "Bill?"

He didn't answer. Tania rolled her eyes.

"Farvon?"

He looked up and smiled pleasantly. "Yes?"

"Did you say everyone from all over the continent is coming?"

"Yes, I did," he said, nodding. He gave her a curious look. "Why?"

"Nothing," Tania said quietly. She stood up slowly, ignoring Farvon's brown eyes that were currently asking her an unspoken question. "Nothing at all."

A/N:

I made up that language, the one that Tania hears near Emerlin Forest (in "Fairy Blood," I mean). Anyway, hope you liked this one! Dragonfirechick: Hope you don't mind me using your name a bit. If you do, tell me and I'll change it. Please review!


	2. Journey to Frell

A/N:

Thank you so much for your reviews!

**Always the Romance**

**lady**** gwen**

**Ninja-Slayer**

**CrimsonEnchantress**– It actually took me a while to find a "code name" for Tania. I went through names such as Tyrell, Wraith, Raythe, Devon, etc. Then I finished with Viper, which was one of my first choices.

**Danna**

**Megan**

**Caronee******

**Sassafras**

**Oops**

**Fairypixie3**

**Stubble96**

**Tayk******

**Blue-hello-kitty **– It is the chapter after Fairy Blood, but it's four months later.

**Awaiting impatient person**

**Dragonfirechick**– I still have to read it. But I will. I really will.

**Beatrix**** B.**

**Lil**** Bazza**

**SnoopyViz******

**Ana**

**A Vision**

**wonderxwoman******

Chapter Two

"Nalyan! We're leaving!" Lucas cried out impatiently as he placed his belongings on his horse's back. He mounted and followed behind Farvon, who was riding a feisty black stallion.

An unperturbed Tania, dressed as Viper, came out of the stables. She was riding a white mare with grey flecks in some places. On its back were her own belongings, much more than Lucas' and Farvon's combined. Lucas took one look at it and snorted.

"You're such a girl," he commented.

She glared at him. "For your information, I'm the one carrying the food supply, so _shut up_."

He rolled his eyes. "Sure, sure."

"Stop it, you two," Farvon snapped. Then he mumbled to himself: "I feel like a father."

"Will we be staying at any inns during the trip, Farvon?" Tania asked as she took her place behind Lucas.

"It's a three-day trip, Tania. Of course."

"Well, I wouldn't mind camping instead."

"I would!" Lucas interjected.

"Look who's being a girl now."

"Shut up."

"No, _you _shut up."

Farvon sighed to himself. "This is going to be one loooong trip," he muttered.

* * *

"Where are we again?" Tania asked as she sat plopped down on the bed at the Red Apple Inn.

Lucas rolled his eyes. "You have such bad memory. Endon, Tania. We're in Endon. Can you remember that?"

"We've been traveling for two days!" Tania argued. "We must have passed by a thousand cities and towns."

"You're exaggerating."

"Well…um…_duh_."

Lucas rolled his eyes. Again. "I'm going to go make my moves on that innkeeper's daughter," he announced. "I won't be back soon."

"Good luck to her," Tania mumbled to herself as Lucas left the room.

"I heard that!"

Tania sighed as she laid her head on the pillow. The room was slightly chilly, but tolerable. And it had this completely silent air that made her…think. She wasn't sure if she wanted that. She didn't like the way her thoughts were roaming at the moment.

Of course she realized that there was a possibility of Darrin being in the tournament. And maybe Ethan, too. Both were well-known warriors back in Déoras. The question was how she could avoid being seen by them. By anyone from Geldrin. The Autumn Fest Tournament was about three months long. There was her Viper disguise…it was possible, though she wondered about her voice. It could give her away, unless it changed dramatically during her four months in Kyrria. Though that was pretty unlikely.

Four months…that was double a summer vacation to a typical scholar. Before, four months seemed short, an insignificant number to her. Now, she realized that it was a pretty long period of time.

Tania sighed and rose from her bed. She decided that thinking and worrying about all this wasn't good for her. She tied up her mask and pulled on her hood, then left the room.

She didn't know where she was going, but that was fine. They wouldn't be leaving until tomorrow morning, at six o'clock. It was getting pretty dark, but she had confidence in her self-defense skills. Besides, she looked like a guy. She was in no danger of being raped or whatnot. Beaten up…maybe. But didn't she look intimidating?

"Hi," came a husky voice.

Tania turned and saw a middle-aged woman. The scandalous dress she had on was obviously used to show off her…assets. She was leaning against a wall, outside an alley. And she had on this smile which was supposed to be seductive. To Tania, it was scary rather than appealing. She tried not to show her shudders.

"I'm feeling lonely tonight," said the scary woman. She still had not lost that fake husky voice. "Cheer me up?"

"Um…no…" She had every intention of making it sound really polite, as to not hurt the woman's feelings, but it came out wrong. Oh well. She shrugged it off and began to walk away.

"Well, _FINE_!" the woman screeched, all traces of her husky voice gone. Now it was just squeaky, high-pitched, and…scary? Yup, scary.

Tania quickened her pace. She looked back and saw that the woman had stayed where she was. Good. She didn't want to be stalked; she was sure that she could handle that woman, no big deal, but the idea of it (being stalked) was still scary.

She found herself entering a tavern after that. A good cup of hot tea seemed so inviting. She entered and found herself a spot in the corner. It was the type of spot that made the person unimportant, in the shadows. It was the type of spot a person would take when she or he wanted to be left alone.

A barmaid paraded forward, a seductive smile on her face. Tania resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Really. Why did some women and girls feel that they had to seduce men? Sure, some had no choice, but what about the ones who did? Did they do it just for fun?

"What can I get you?" the barmaid purred.

"A cup of tea, please," Tania replied calmly.

The barmaid was startled. She gave Tania a look of disbelief. "You want…tea?" she said slowly.

Tania nodded. "Yes. Tea."

"You're in a tavern, and you want…tea."

Tania hid the impatience in her voice. "Yes, tea."

"I'll be…right back." She left, her face with an expression of bewilderment.

Really. What was so strange about a supposedly intimidating-looking man-in-disguise wanting a cup of tea? Tania paused at the question. The answer was already in it. Okay, so it did seem strange, but she wasn't a man.

"Here you go." The barmaid placed the cup of tea on the table and left quickly. Tania didn't even get a chance to say thank you. She shrugged to herself and began to drink.

She wasn't even halfway done with her drink when an obviously drunk man wobbled forward and placed himself on the empty seat in front of Tania.

"H-hey…you n-new here?" he slurred.

"What's it to you?" Tania countered, disgust evident in her voice.

The man's beady eyes widened. "Hey y-you!" he cried (at the same time snorted…was that even possible?) "You being…rude!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? My apologies. I don't do well with drunk men." She wasn't usually this mean, but she could tell that this man was very bad news. He was the abusive, always-drunk type. His whole rugged appearance was practically screaming it. This man was the type who wouldn't mind doing any dirty work, if it was for a hefty reward.

He glared drunkenly at her. "You want a piece of me?"

Tania wrinkled her nose. _Ew. Not really. _

The man scowled. "You looking for a fight?" he sneered. "I can take you!"

"No, thank you."

"Whassa matter? Scared? You scared of…me?" he taunted.

"No," Tania replied coldly. "I just don't have time for cheap drunks like you." She placed a few coins on the table and stood up.

She was about to walk away when she suddenly felt this force hit her. She stumbled and fell to the ground. It didn't take her long to realize that the drunken man had tackled her down, and was now fighting her. He wasn't doing too well, though. The alcohol was making him weak.

She fought back, throwing punches here and there. She tried to push him off, but the man had quite the weight. Her build was nothing compared to his. So she settled with punching. She wasn't giving him her most violent blows, thus, giving him the opportunity to throw punches as well. And there was this one punch that was the highlight of the event. Maybe it was because of _where _he had punched.

Yes, right in the chest. Tania successfully bit back a cry of pain. Her eyes watered a bit. She was glad that she was wearing a mask, since it concealed her hurt expression. If people had seen it, then they would have eventually figured out that she was a girl. Thank the heavenly mask.

That move set her off. Growling fiercely, she raised her palm…and aimed right for his nose.

He let out a howl of pain as the bottom part (the stone-hard part) of her palm hit his nose. Dark red blood spilled out, and he cried loudly. Tania used this opportunity to free herself from him.

None of the blood spilled on her clothes. She was glad at that. She didn't want to do laundry. And stains were such a pain. She dusted her clothes (in a manly way, of course), and when she looked up, she saw that the people in the tavern were staring at her. Some in fear, some in curiosity.

Then it happened. Tania didn't know what it was that made her do it, but for some reason, she turned around...she had felt someone's piercing eyes on her.

She was right. Someone _was_ staring at her. He was sitting in a corner, his black hood pulled up, so she couldn't see his face clearly. One arm was resting lazily on the wooden table. To an inexperienced eye he looked relaxed, but Tania could tell that he was very alert. It was in the way he was sitting. His back was straight and rigid.

And he was staring. It wasn't the normal stares like the others were giving…no, this was a different stare. It was as if he was studying her, calculating her. It was definitely unnerving.

But she was Viper. She wasn't Tania, she was Viper. So, she straightened her back—almost regally—and sent him a hard look. Then she did a curt nod of acknowledgement, turned, then walked boldly out of the tavern.

The noise didn't break out until she was long gone.

* * *

"Where were you?" Lucas demanded the moment Tania entered the room.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Just…out."

"You didn't get into any trouble, did you?" he asked suspiciously.

She sent him a hard look. "No. Any success with what's-her-name?"

He sighed dramatically. "She's engaged. The love of my life is engaged! Oh, the way my heart broke into a thousand pieces when she told me of her man…if only I—"

"Shut up," Tania said, rolling her eyes. "She didn't mean anything to you, and you know it. And stop trying to be poetic. It's not really you. But then again, if you want to sound stupid, be my guest."

Farvon chose this moment to enter the room. "Go to sleep, you two," he said. "We're waking up early. Tania, you take the bed. Lucas and I can sleep on the floor."

"W-what?!" Lucas sputtered. "But _I_ want the bed!"

Farvon shot him a stern look. "Tania will have the bed, Lucas. We will use bed rolls like good gentlemen we are."

"Fine," Lucas grumbled. He turned to Tania. "Be grateful."

"I am."

"Wanna rock, paper, scissors for it?" he asked hopefully.

She stared at him. "No."

He groaned. "Fine," he mumbled. He lay grudgingly on his bed roll. "G'night, loser."

"Goodnight, fatty."

"I'm not fat."

"That's what you think."

"Shut up."

"No, _you _shut up."

"_Both of you shut up!_"

Moment of silence.

"'kay."

* * *

Tania felt someone nudge her in the head. She groaned and tried to swat the offending article away, whatever it was. But unfortunately for her, it only resulted into a harder nudge.

"Hey. Wake up."

She forcibly opened her heavy eyes. She blinked a few times, and when her vision finally came into focus, she saw something shiny glinting down at her…a dagger. Immediately she let out a blood-curdling scream, which was followed by someone else's laughter.

"Really, Tania," Lucas said in between chuckles. "I thought you would be past the screaming by now. I _thought _you were a warrior."

She shot him a death glare. "Your ugly face that scared me."

"Sure, sure," he replied with a knowing grin.

Tania looked at the dagger he was fiddling with. Her eyes widened. "You woke me up with _that_?!" she screamed.

Lucas winced at the volume of her voice. "Relax, Nalyan. I didn't use the sharp end."

"IT'S STILL A DAGGER, YOU STUPID OAF!"

Farvon chose this time to enter the room. Taking one quick look at Tania's glare and Lucas's half-guilty expression, he sighed heavily and said, "What happened now?"

"Confiscate his dagger, Farvon!" Tania spoke up, pointing at Lucas. "He thinks it's a damn toy!"

"I knew what I was doing!" Lucas interjected. "She exaggerates!"

"There could have been an accident!"

Lucas snorted. "Me? Have an accident with a dagger?"

"It's possible!" Tania retorted.

"But highly unlikely."

"Arrogant git."

"No…just being truthful, Nalyan."

Tania didn't know what to say to that. Lucas was right, after all. Daggers and knives were his specialty. It was where he excelled at the most. His hands were so nimble and precise when it came to wielding them. Tania got lessons from him, so she was also good, though not as good as him.

"I'm not helping you two straighten this out. I'm too tired," Farovn said wearily. "Get ready. We're leaving in fifteen minutes." He left the room.

Tania scowled at Lucas. "Next time, when it's my turn to wake you up…"

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Just get ready. I'm going to go and make my moves on the other innkeeper's daughter."

"Good luck to her," Tania whispered to herself as Lucas left the room.

"I heard that!"

* * *

"So…how are you?" Tania asked the innkeeper's daughter.

The girl, Marla, looked up in surprise. Upon seeing Tania dressed as Viper, her cheeks turned into a light shade of red.

"I'm fine…why do you ask?" she mumbled, almost to herself.

"Oh, my partner can be pretty scary sometimes," Tania said nonchalantly. "He was here earlier, wasn't he?"

"Oh! _Him_."

Tania smiled in amusement. "Yes. Him. I apologize for whatever behaviour he had earlier."

Marla nodded. "He was…"

"Scary?"

"Persistent."

"Ah…well, that's Lucas for you." Tania offered a grin, but since she was wearing a mask, it didn't show. She then said a goodbye to the girl (who blushed more deeply) and was about to head out to the stables when _something _made her turn, like what happened last night. When she did, she felt her heart skip a beat.

There he was again, sitting in the corner with his black hood propped up. And she could tell he was looking right at her. She could feel his deep eyes on her.

_Is he following me? _she thought suspiciously.

He wasn't moving. Imagine a cat sitting on a table, alert, but not moving. He was sort of like that.

Once again, Tania made herself look important. She sent a brisk nod towards his direction, and quickly strode out.

A/N:

The thing with the staring man…does that sound familiar? Well, it should because I got if from "Fellowship of the Ring," when Aragorn (as Strider) was staring at the hobbits at the Prancing Pony. :) And I'm learning Latin!

_Pater noster, qui es in caelis___

_Sanctificetur nomen tuum___

_Adveniat regnum tuum___

_Fiat voluntas tua sicut in caelo et in terra___

_Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie___

_Et dimitte nobis debita nostra___

_Sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris___

_Et ne nos inducas in temptationem___

_Sed libera nos a malo___

_Amen_


	3. In Frell and Slightly Before That

A/N:

Hi, everyone! Answers/comments for you wonderful readers:

1. The paragraph in the end of the last chapter is the Our Father in Latin. Yes, I'm taking Latin. And no, it's not connected to this story whatsoever. I just felt like putting it in.

2. Tania hearing the voices near Emerlin Forest (in FB)…it's very important. Don't forget that incident!

3. Yes, Darrin's coming back, and yes, they are going to quarrel less.

4. Is she getting her powers back? Yes, though I should have kept this answer a secret. Oh well…

5. Viper did not exist before. The only Viper existing is Tania. But there _is _Ryder…he's a very well-known warrior all through out the continent, and also wears a disguise very similar to Tania's. Haha, guess Tania's a copier. Ah, I shouldn't have made those two names so similar. It wasn't actually supposed to be Viper…I forgot to change it before uploading the chapter. But oh well, I'll just stick to Viper.

6. The mysterious guy staring at Tania is…secret! I won't say. (does evil laugh, then stops abruptly when she sees readers ready to murder her)

7. Lucas and Tania – yes, brother/sister love, according to their childish fights

8. I don't mind questions at all. Don't be afraid to ask them!

9. Also, I've done some changes with my profile. If you want to know when the next chapter is coming up of any of my stories, just look under "My Stories." And I put in my favourite quotes, but that's not important…

Thanks to:

**CRAZAYLADY **Since I kept on forgetting you, I put you up first on the list, in BIG letters, with an underline (hope it shows up)! I'm so sorry! I know I'm supposed to be doing this over at A Happy Ending?, but that's not going to be updated soon. (dodges random objects from angry readers)

**Jaioublie** Your name means I forgot!!! Hahaha, I know French! Well, actually, just a bit of it. And I'm supposed to be doing homework right now too.

**Blue-hello-kitty**

**NellyNell** Thank you so much!!!

**Snoopyviz**

**Dragonfirechick**

**Bubbles**

**Pixiedust121**

**Tayk**

**Danna **Thanks! And I'm going to let you in a little secret. It's only between you, me, and whoever happens to read this. Anyway, guess what? I used to be the _worst_ writer ever. If you ever read these early stories of mine over at ficpress, you would have been like, "Why on earth does this author bother to post?" Those stories were called "Hiding an Identity" and "Fame Isn't Everything." And no, don't bother looking them up because I _thankfully_ deleted them. But seriously, those two were absolutely horrible. Fame Isn't Everything had poor description and use of dialogue. It was the same with Hiding an Identity.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that _anybody _can write. It just depends on how much effort you put in and how much you believe in yourself. Oh, wow…is this really me talking? I _really_ do hope I don't sound conceited or anything. Like Little Miss High and Mighty. That's not my intent. I'm just trying to, um, convey a message?

Aaaanyway, here's me, ending this speech…

Wait! One last thing! If any of you did read any of those two stories, please put it all behind. But if you're curious as to what I was planning with them, email me and I'll let you know (though there really isn't much to tell). Bye!

**Eclectus**

**Lady gwen**

**Morwen **The prince? Ah, well, he's her son…

**C. Noelle**

**Sealednector**

**Stubble96**

**Caronee**

**Beatrix B.**

**Sassafras** Yeah! I want to read Gone with the Wind! I've seen the movie.

**Littlelambug** My Latin book is called…um…um…damn it, I can't remember! I will tell you next time I remember.

**Awaiting impatient person** I have no money too. Maybe we can bet with imaginary money? Except I have the complete advantage, since I already know who it is (does evil laugh). Ah…I really have to get a job.

Last note: I _LOVE_ you guys to death! Seriously, you all make my day…aw…tear…okay, happy moment now…read!

**_Warrior Blood_**

What happened so far:

Tania, along with Farvon (her master) and Lucas (her partner), are on a journey towards Frell, because Farvon was summoned by the King to be one of the judges for the Autumn Fest Tournament, a very popular tournament that receives competitors from all over the continent. Tania is forming a big fear: the possibility of Darrin, Ethan or any other guys from Geldrin going to Frell for the tournament.

When she was in Endon for a quick stop, this one person catches her attention. A hooded figure that has the stare of an eagle. Tania doesn't know who he/she is, but she does wonder about this mysterious person.

**Chapter 3: In Frell and Slightly Before That **

The forest was very dark, gloomy, and eerie.

"We're almost there," Farvon announced quietly as they rode on. They had just passed through the town of Meril, which meant that Frell was very, very near.

Tania frowned as she silently observed her surroundings. _Is it just me or does this forest look too dark and creepy to be a normal forest?_

She was right. It was midday, but the thick canopies of the tall ancient trees blocked out the sunlight. Not a single ray of light touched the damp and murky ground. Wild vines entangled themselves in the thick branches, and the air had a bit of a rotten scent.

Not pleasant at all.

"Farvon," Tania said softly, "do you know where we are?"

Farvon pulled out a piece of old parchment. "Sure," he replied lightly (though it sounded quite fake). "According to this map,"—he squinted in order to see—"we are in the…the…Elves' Forest…"

Lucas smacked his forehead and groaned. "Farvon," he said exasperatedly," we thought you knew _exactly _where we were going! We didn't know you were relying on a damn _map_!"

Farvon shot Lucas a dirty look. "So? Is there a difference?"

"You were never really good with maps, Farvon. No offense," Tania spoke up. "And I don't know about you, but this place isn't exactly screaming 'Elves' Forest'."

Lucas snatched the map from Farvon and examined it. "This map is ten years old," he mumbled afterward.

"All right," Farvon said roughly. "So I'm not good with maps. Every warrior has a weakness. Just be thankful that mine isn't a weak heel or…or…women," he said, eyeing Lucas.

"Hey!" Lucas piped up. "Why are you looking at me?" He paused, then sighed. "Fine. It's true. Happy?"

Farvon shrugged, while Tania groaned and said, "Can we please just try to find our way out of here? I'm hungry." Even her horse seemed to agree because right after she said this, it neighed, as if to say, "Yes. Please."

_Why leave now? Stay. This is a beautiful place…_

Tania paused, then felt herself relax. Yes. Of _course_. This _was _a nice place. What was she thinking before?

_You don't want to leave. You want to stay. You will have a wonderful feast soon._

She smiled dreamily. _Yes…wonderful feast…hey, look! Ogres! Do they have the feast? Because I am S-T-A-R-V-I-N-G. Yesssssss. I want to stay…_

"**_OW!!!_**"

Tania blinked once. Then twice. When she finally came back to reality, she found herself staring at a pretty interesting sight: Farvon and Lucas, battling fiercely with five ogres, with her in between the two for protection.

"A little help would be nice!" Lucas hollered, his dark brown hair damp with sweat. He shoved beeswax at her. "Put those on!"

Tania did as she was told. When they were securely on, and all the ogres' roars were muffled, she drew her sword quickly. An ogre lunged for her, and she sidestepped nimbly. He clenched his teeth in and anger and tried to slash her with his claw-like hand, but she dodged it easily.

As Tania fought with her disgusting opponent (saliva was dripping down his chin), her brain kept on repeating this one really ANNOYING message: _If only you had your powers. If only you had your powers._ _If only you had your powers. If only you had your powers. If only you had your powers. If only you had your powers. If only you had your powers._

It was enough to drive her insane. Of course her powers would be of tremendous help right about now. But did her own brain have to rub it _in_? She was the one who removed all her magic from her body. Period. End of story. It was all in the past now.

She managed one swift kick at the ogre's head, then an attack in the arm with the sharp point of her sword. The ogre howled in pain and anger, and before he had a chance to attack, she pulled out a dagger from her boot and pierced him on the throat with a vertical motion. All this she did quicker than lightning.

The ogre made a sound that was somewhere in between a growl and a gurgle. Tania pushed her dagger up some more, and there was this sickening crunch as the blade drove all the way up to his nose.

The noise died out, and the ogre collapsed to the ground.

"Tania!"

Tania whirled around, and when she did, her vision was met with a large claw heading for her. She dodged instantly…had she hesitated a millisecond later, she would have received a deep shredding at her chest…instead, she took the hit at the arm. She groaned as the pain burned through her skin.

"Tania!" Lucas cried out as he battled his own ogre, "I'm coming!"

It was a burden to hold her sword. She switched to her left arm, her weaker arm. Her attacks weren't all that strong now, and to her dismay, the ogre was gaining advantage.

When Lucas finally came, Tania was barely able to wield her sword. One arm was bleeding severely, while the other arm was badly bruised (she had suffered a fierce punch with it).

"Find cover!" Lucas shouted.

Tania, putting pressure on her deep wound, took one step…then froze.

_What am I doing?! _she thought in disbelief. _The crystal! I have the healing crystal!_

She reached for her neck and pulled out the necklace hiding underneath her black shirt. She couldn't believe she had forgotten about it. She gazed dazedly at it. It looked to be glowing, as if begging to be used. She took it off and held the crystal above her wound.

After a brief moment of concentration, the crystal began to give off golden light. Tania felt a nice cooling sensation as the bright rays bathed her deep cut. A few seconds later, the light was gone…along with the wound.

She could fight again. She grasped her sword, turned, and ran towards a worn-out Lucas.

The ogre wasn't expecting her. When his eyes swept over her healed figure, he stared in shock, giving Tania the swift opportunity to finish him off.

Lucas stared at her. "What—"

"Shut up!" Tania yelled at him as she dashed over to Farvon, who was fighting two ogres…well, one and a half, actually. One was already half-dead. The other one, however, still looked incredibly strong and fierce. He was definitely the leader of the pack…he looked to be the dirtiest and ugliest, he smelled the foulest, he had the most rotten teeth, he had the loudest roars.

Lucas and Tania quickly finished off the half-dead one. The remaining one glared at all three of them and took a fighting stance. Lucas, Tania, and Farvon surrounded him, swords in hand.

Suddenly, Farvon did something really strange: he stepped back. Lucas and Tania stared at him in disbelief. He just smiled, almost mysteriously.

"What are you doing?!" Lucas screamed at him.

"Relax!" Farvon shouted (they still had their beeswax on, after all). "I just want to see how much you two have learned. Don't worry. You can take him. If problems arise, I'll help."

"He's mental," Tania muttered to Lucas, though he didn't hear her.

"You think this is a damn training session?! You're crazy!" Lucas bellowed.

Farovn rolled his eyes. "I'll have you know that my old master did the same thing to me."

The ogre chose this moment to attack. His claws were sharp and dangerous; Tania and Lucas were at their most alert state, dodging and sidestepping here and there.

Then there was a moment when Lucas lost his concentration briefly. But it was enough for the ogre-leader to manage to scratch him on the chest. His shirt ripped, and blood seeped out of the multiple cuts. Lucas groaned and stepped back, which Tania interpreted as "It's all up to you now, Tania."

"Oh, thank you," she muttered sarcastically. She ducked as the ogre swiped at her—then sidestepped—then dodged—then jumped…her sword flung away from her hand and fell to the ground far from her. Groaning in frustration, she pulled out two knives that she kept on either side of her waist.

"Stupid me…removing my powers," she mumbled to herself as she took the proper fighting stance. "Gone now."

The ogre lunged. She ducked and swiped his arm, then his other arm. But the cuts weren't deep though. The ogre just looked furious instead of hurt. He swiped for her neck, Tania dodged it, but the ogre managed to grab hold of her cloak.

_STUIPD CLOAK! _she thought furiously as she struggled to set herself free. The ogre held on. His hand found its way to her neck and he squeezed. Instead of gasping for air, Tania rolled her eyes. The ogre was one stupid, stupid creature…strong, but really stupid. He had completely forgotten that she was still holding her knives.

She plunged both knives to his chest. The ogre's eyes widened, then just lost expression as he collapsed to the ground, bringing Tania with him.

"Ow!" she cried angrily as she fell not so gracefully. Scowling, she reached for the ogre's hand and pried it off her neck. She got up clumsily and gave the already dead ogre one angry kick.

She felt someone grab her by the wrist and pull her. She turned and saw that it was Farvon, practically dragging her towards the horses. She saw that Lucas was already on his.

"We have to get out of here before more ogres come," Farvon explained gruffly.

Tania removed the beeswax off her ears. "You're crazy, Farvon!" she yelled as she ran to her horse. "I can't believe you considered that a training!"

"Oh, come on," Farvon said as he mounted his black stallion, "that was a fairly easy opponent. The real danger is someone who is an expert with swords."

They galloped off. Tania noticed that they were retracing their steps.

"All right. Explain," Lucas said breathlessly as he rode alongside Tania. Farvon was in front, leading the way.

Tania gave him a look. "What?"

"You were wounded. I saw you. Explain how you got better all of a sudden."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Tania said stiffly, hoping that she could convince Lucas that that part was a dream or something.

Lucas scowled. "Don't try that on me, Nalyan. I—"

"Quiet," Farvon hissed. "We don't want to attract attention."

Tania felt gratitude towards Farvon when he said this. _Thank you, thank you, thank you…_

"But Tania…"

Tania paused. "Yes?" she said to her master.

"You _will _explain later, no matter what."

Grrrreeeaat.

* * *

They slowed to a trot when they were out of danger.

"All right," Farvon said, turning to Tania, "explain."

Tania stared at her two companions, back and forth, back and forth. She gulped. "I-I…I…" She trailed off.

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "We're waiting."

She shot him a dirty glare. Then she sighed and took off her necklace with the two pendants in it. "The crystal one has healing powers," she said dully. "It was given to me." She placed the crystal over Lucas chest and began to heal him. He just sat still and stared at the light in shock. When he was healed, he placed a tentative hand over his chest, as if testing to see if he really _was _healed. He then looked at Tania, who stared back defiantly.

_No more questions. No more questions. No more questions, _she pleaded silently.

They didn't hear her pleas.

"By who?" Farvon asked, breaking the silence. "That is extremely rare. The only thing that possessed healing powers was the Saeryl. Which was destroyed, if I'm not mistaken," he said pensively. "I'm not good with fairy history."

Tania nodded. "This crystal contains power from the Saeryl. I guess it was blessed by it or something," she said, shrugging.

"Who gave it to you?" Farvon asked suspiciously. "_I_ wouldn't have parted with such a valuable thing."

"It…it was a fairy," Tania said weakly. "She…um…gave it to me."

"Why would she give it to you?" he interrogated further. "You're a human. Fairies don't usually reveal themselves to humans."

Tania resisted the urge to yell at him. He was being so persistent! "I…well, we were close," she said with a shrug. "Because…I…am…"

"A what?" Lucas asked warily.

"A Friend of the Fairies," Tania finished, a confident tone in her voice. "The fairy who gave this to me was my…fairy godmother. It was a present for my sixteenth birthday." She mentally applauded herself for coming up with such a great lie.

Farvon looked at her shrewdly. "You're a Friend of the Fairies?" He pointedly looked down at her feet. "You do have small feet…"

"Exactly," Tania finished with a weak grin.

"You must be lucky to have a fairy godmother," Lucas said. "I think fairies are very fascinating. I've always wanted to meet one…never have, of course."

How ironic. He was currently looking at a fairy.

Tania shrugged nonchalantly. "Yes, very fascinating," she said dryly. She turned to Farvon, who was staring at her thoughtfully. "Shall we go?"

Farvon nodded. "All right," he said gruffly.

Tania breathed a sigh of relief as her two companions fell into silence. _No more questions. _

_Please. _

* * *

The endless road no longer seemed endless. Up ahead, Tania saw the first sign of civilization: a small and simple inn, for the weary travelers. She knew that beyond that would be the very heart of Frell. 

"There's the palace," Farvon announced, pointing up ahead. Tania looked and saw it easily, for it was very large in size. It had many towers, with the Kyrrian flag at the top of each one. It looked so…regal. Mighty. Powerful.

Lucas turned to Tania. "How about a race?" he suggested, his blue-green eyes twinkling with mischief.

Tania smirked. "Can you handle losing?"

He rolled his eyes. "You're all talk, Nalyan. I'm a better rider than you."

She snorted at that. "No, you're not."

"All right…at the count of three," he said with a smirk. "One…"

He took off. Tania stared in shock as she watched him ride away.

"He just cheated," she whispered.

Farovn chuckled. "Yes, but _you_ were planning to as well, Tania. Don't deny it."

Tania sighed. "Yeah…well…"

"Aren't you going to race after him?"

She grinned at her master. "No."

* * *

A tall, well-built man with dark hair, and eyes which many maidens called "alluring," waited impatiently in front of the Blue Feather Inn. He had a brown stallion standing obediently beside him. Girls passing by would take one look at him and giggle shamelessly. Some were bold enough to wink. He responded by flashing them his charming smile. The girls would _then _respond by blushing and giggling some more. It was one of those scenes that made elderly people either roll their eyes or sigh at such "romance." 

Finally, the people he was waiting for came within sight. One was riding an impressive black stallion. He had the face of a warrior: alert eyes and a sharp jaw. His back was straight and rigid, as if it was his job to look superior. The other one was clothed all in black. A black hood concealed their hair, while their black mask concealed their face. All that could be seen was their big brown eyes, which currently had a mischievous twinkle in them.

The man glared in extreme annoyance at the black rider. "Nice race, Nalyan," he said sarcastically. "Really."

Tania grinned at him. "Oh, yes. I know," she responded.

"People thought I was mental," he mumbled. "I was snickering to myself and riding as if a whole army was after me. Had you been there, it would have been explained everything, but noooo….you weren't."

"You cheated," she said simply.

"You were going to as well," he replied. "And don't you deny it." He turned to Farvon. "Where to now?"

Farvon gave his apprentice a look. "We're staying at the palace," he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "After all, I _am _one of the judges, and the king is a good friend of mine."

"The palace? Great!" Lucas said excitedly. "Let's go."

They rode through the busy streets, with people watching the three of them curiously, especially Tania. She was, after all, wearing quite the disguise. She would have stared too if she saw someone wearing black clothes and a black mask looking like some…assassin.

Finally, they reached the palace. It looked much more intimidating up close. It was even bigger than the royal palace of Geldrin. The towers looked like they could reach the clouds.

"Good afternoon," Farvon greeted formally at the guards at the gate. The guards took one look at Farvon, then their eyes widened in surprise.

"Sir Farvon!" one of them cried out. "Welcome! Welcome back! So good to see you!"

Farvon smiled and nodded. "It's good to be back."

"Are they with you?" one of them asked, gesturing towards Lucas and Tania. A couple of them were shooting Tania suspicious looks. She didn't blame them for doing so.

Farvon nodded. "Yes. They're with me. Let us in."

The guards nodded vigorously, and the gates opened for them.

"Enter, enter!" a guard said, his voice filled with unprofessional enthusiasm. "We've been waiting for you!"

Farvon nodded. "We'll have a chat later, Henry."

The guard looked as if he was going to pass out from delight. The glowing expression on his face was obvious: "He remembers me! I can't believe _he_ remembers _me_!"

They rode on the cobblestone path, the horses' hooves making the loudest, most attention-catching sounds. Guards here and there turned, and upon seeing Farvon, made the most deafening greetings ever. It was like a parade, really.

"I didn't know Farvon was _this _loved," Tania whispered to Lucas.

Lucas miraculously heard her (the cheers were _that _loud). "Oh, yes," he said. "He's pretty much a hero. He trained more than half of the guards here, you know. He lived here before moving to Devlin. Almost all the guards look up to him."

Tania felt herself swell with pride. Here she was, riding alongside one of the greatest warriors ever. And _she _was his _apprentice. _Unbelievable.

They finally reached the entrance of the palace. And there, standing on the front steps, was no other than the King himself. Standing right next to him, Tania saw, was a beautiful woman with raven-black hair and porcelain skin. She was, without a doubt, Queen Ella of Kyrria.

They dismounted, and the stable lads took the horses. Farvon boldly walked up the steps, followed by Lucas and Tania.

King Charmont enveloped him in a hug. "Good to see you, _Bill_," he said, patting his long-term friend on the back.

Farvon rolled his eyes. "Thank you." He turned to the Queen. "Ella, Ella, Ella," he said with a grin, "good to see you."

Ella smiled. "Welcome back, Farvon." She looked at Lucas and Tania. "And these are your apprentices?"

Farvon nodded. "Yes. They're going to be great warriors someday."

Tania saw Lucas glow with pride. She also did, but her mask hid it.

Ella shook hands with Lucas. But when she turned to Tania, she did something different: she hugged her. Tania was really surprised at that.

"I think it's wonderful to have a female warrior," the Queen whispered in her ear. She stepped away and smiled fondly at her. "Farvon told me," she said, upon seeing the confusion in Tania's eyes, "don't worry…your secret is safe."

King Charmont smiled at Tania. "I can't wait to see what you are capable of. It's about time women got bigger roles. You'll demonstrate for us later on, of course? We have a lot of guards for you to duel with."

Tania flushed at all the attention. "Um…all right. We'll see."

King Charmont turned to Lucas. "And you too," he said lightly. "Anyone under Farvon's wing is surely a great warrior. You will demonstrate for us?"

Lucas reddened a bit. "Yes, Your Highness."

"Oh, none of that," the King said, waving his hand. "Char, if you please."

"Um…all right…" Lucas said uncertainly.

"Well," Queen Ella said, "you must be tired. I'll get Nancy to show you to your rooms. You'll join us for dinner, of course?"

Farvon nodded. "Of course. We have a lot of catching up to do."

Nancy came up to them and curtsied. She was a tall woman, though mildly stooped with age. Her brown eyes had a motherly gleam in them, and her skin had laugh lines. "Come with me," she said kindly.

As Tania, along with Farvon and Lucas, followed Nancy to the palace, something caught her eye. Beside the palace was a large courtyard, where two young men were currently dueling, surrounded by a small audience. She saw, even from afar, that they were both good. Agile and very focused.

Then one of the fighters turned, revealing his face to Tania. Tania felt her heart stop. Now, she wasn't sure, for he was quite far away, but it looked to be…could be…maybe…

Ethan?

Reference (for those who have not read Fairy Blood):

1. Tania removed her powers four months ago, just after she ran away from Geldrin. She removed them because she didn't want to be a fairy. She hated being one, actually.

2. The crystal necklace was given by Caelan, a fairy she met back in Déoras (a city in the kingdom of Geldrin). The necklace she wears has two pendants: the healing crystal (of course), and a rare dark blue stone given by Kylee, her best friend.

3. The Saeryl was a jewel that had two abilities: the power to heal and the power to destruct. Simple as that. It was destroyed many years ago for unknown reasons. It used to be an heirloom of the royal family of the fairies.

4. Ethan was a guy she met in Déoras. He taught her a few things with the sword…and maybe the bow, but Tania never improved on that.

A/N:

I wasn't really happy with this chapter. Oh, well…any thoughts? Questions?


	4. Silver Message

A/N:

This is the edited version. Here are my answers, messages, and whatnot:

1. No, I did not get to read Lioness Rampant. But I am still uncomfortable of the fact that there are similarities with that book. I really should read that book.

2. CrimsonEnchantress has started a C2 community for HG/DM fanfics, so if you're interested, let her know.

3. Yes, I have an outline of this story. In my private notebook. Nobody can read it. It's for my eyes alone…mwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha….ahem…k, I'll stop.

4. The secret that Ella said she knew is just the fact that Tania is a girl-in-disguise. Nothing special.

**_Warrior Blood_**

**Chapter 4: Silver Message**

Many competitors began to come five days after Tania's arrival in Frell. She had no intention of joining the tournament, she was only good with swords and daggers and the tournament required _all _types of skills, but she went into the habit of studying the competitors. After all, there wasn't much to do in Frell. She was Farvon's apprentice, and he was recently busy with many things that did not need her or Lucas's help.

The competitors were obviously men. A woman joining such a…er…_manly_ tournament was considered dishonourable. Or just plain silly. People would have chortled at such a ridiculous idea.

She noticed that the men all had muscles. Some with scary, bulging ones that had blue veins popping out (not a pretty sight), and some with nice muscles. Not that she was _looking _or anything. She was merely studying them. That was all. _Completely_ professionally. No, seriously.

They spent most of their time practising in the palace's very large training field at the back. Most practised by themselves, doing fast and impressive moves (what Tania got used to calling as "exhibitions"), but the more confident (or cocky) ones challenged others to a "friendly" duel. Needless to say, there had been cases of _real _fist fighting…which, of course, resulted into the competitors having being more alert and cautious and having an "I'd rather die than let that mongrel win" attitude.

This was going to be one interesting tournament.

The competitors were mostly the elite…sons of dukes, earls, and counts, respected warriors, or generals. And even princes, but Tania had never met any of them. She just heard about them from whom else but the giggling ladies of the court?

Keeping her identity a secret was harder than she thought. During her first night in the palace, a maid almost walked in on her in her "female counterpart." After that, Queen Ella instructed everyone not to enter Viper's room because he valued his privacy _immensely_.

Lucas had rolled his eyes when Tania came to complain to him about the difficulty of being in disguise.

"Who _cares_ if people find out you're a girl?" he had drawled. "It's no big deal."

She scowled and smacked him on the forehead. "Haven't you been paying _any _attention?" she almost screamed at him. "Who do you know that is a female warrior?"

Lucas replied with a blank stare. She triumphed at that.

"Exactly, Lucas. Nobody. And people _want _it that way."

"But you're too uptight about it," Lucas argued. "_Relax_, Nalyan."

She glared at him. "You don't understand, idiot. One slip up and my career is ruined."

"But doesn't it bother you?"

She raised an eyebrow. "What bothers me?"

"Hiding your identity. Keeping secrets."

Tania released a dry laugh at the irony. "Trust me," she said sardonically, "you have _no _idea. Sometimes I feel like I'm going to explode because I keep too many things to myself."

He shot her a look. "What do you mean?"

She paused, realizing that she was treading on a dangerous path. Her temper rose, and she glared. "Why are we talking about this? Forget it."

He glared back. "Fine."

That was a few nights ago. Tania was glad that he did not pester her more about her secrets after that. She knew that she was a mysterious person. She had known Lucas for about four months, and she had barely told him anything of her past. If she did, they were worthless pieces of information, the kind that could be forgotten in a minute since they were _that _worthless. She was glad that Lucas respected her privacy. She knew that he was curious about her past, the looks that he sometimes gave her said so, but she wasn't ready to reveal anything. At least not _yet_.

Dressed as Viper, she went down from her bedroom and headed to the training field. Sure enough, there were men already there, even though it was only eight in the morning.

_Could such devotion be healthy? _she thought as she watched them practise. She looked ahead and saw a familiar someone. _Whoa. I'm surprised that he's actually trying._

With a wry grin on her face, she silently crossed the field and approached Lucas. He was too busy waving his sword around to notice her.

"Did you eat breakfast?" she asked, making him turn around.

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, _Mother_. Now go away. I'm practising."

Tania feigned hurt. "You're abandoning me?"

"You know I'm busy."

"Can I help?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Help? How?"

She smirked. "Do you want to duel?"

"In front of all these men?"

She shrugged. "Yes. Put on a show. Make them feel intimidated with you."

"You mean you'll lose on purpose?"

Tania's eyebrows shot up. "Eh, I didn't realize that. On second thought…never mind. I love you and all, but I don't want to ruin my reputation."

He rolled his eyes. "You are one selfless being, Nalyan."

She grinned. "I am, aren't I? Well, looks like I'm going to be alone for a while. I'll see you later." She turned and began to leave.

"Don't get into any trouble!" Lucas hollered.

She responded with a dismissive wave. "Sure," she said lightly.

Both knew that that was a doubtful promise.

* * *

Tania walked through the streets of Frell. She was bored and was wishing for some action. Four months of being in deep training with a Farvon, and in a boisterous city at that, had influenced her. Had she still been in Geldrin, she would have done anything for peace, but she was different now. It was almost disturbing. She thought she would never change.

_I wonder what Kylee would think of me now? _she thought. Her face then broke into an amused grin. _She'd be proud. We'd always wanted to be good fighters._

_And Darrin? _an inner voice jeered.

She scowled at the thought. _What about Darrin? He's gone. He's no longer part of my life._

_Are you sure about that?_

It was in this moment when she saw a flash of wavy blond hair amongst the massive crowd. Tania instantly felt her insides freeze. And there began this muffled roaring in her ears, as if she was by the seaside. Her heart started to pound loudly, like a steady but fast beating of drums.

Sure, he _was_ an amazing warrior, but…

The young man began to turn to her direction, and Tania held her breath. It was as if everything was happening in slow motion…

It was not Darrin.

She breathed a sigh of relief and felt herself relax. _Thank you, thank you, thank you…_ She frowned suddenly. W_hat would I have done if it was Darrin? Surely he wouldn't have recognized me…?_

A scowl formed on Tania's lips. _Just as long as he stays away from Frell, then I'm fine._

She turned around a corner and was greeted by the bright rays of the morning sunlight. She winced slightly, headed for a shade, and stopped there.

She watched quietly as people passed her by. No one glanced at her. Her dark outfit blended her well with the shadow.

_These Kyrrian people are so carefree, _she thought as she observed them. The people were chatting and laughing, as if they had no care in the world. In Geldrin, it was different. At this time of the day, people would be hurrying down the streets, screaming at people to get out of their way because they were late. Geldrinians depended on the clock, almost worshipping it, while Kyrrians were laid back, as if they believed in enjoying what was around them.

_No wonder they have such good ties with the Ayorthaians, _Tania thought. Ayorthaians were known for being peaceful, slow-paced people. They were the type who enjoyed soft music, cool breezes, and silent outings.

They appreciated life. That was the best way to describe them.

Tania was about to leave from her spot and resume her walk when something caught her eye. It was something shiny, for the sunlight was upon it, and it was on the outer wall of a humble tavern. Curious, she left her spot and approached the wall.

She gasped softly when she realized what it was. It was a message, written with what seemed like shiny silver paint.

And it was written in her native language. Of the fairies.

_Faeas, leithiah pulae sen o irveno metisila. Grefin o resis evialin. Rin aenos Dancing Flame. _

_Fairies, come to the grove at midnight. Follow the silver markings. Start at the Dancing Flame._

This was not the first time. This was not the first time Tania could understand the fairies' language. It had happened before, back in Geldrin. Only she had heard the language, not read it.

And the message was not written with the usual letters. No…the message was in some sort of runes. It had a lot of flourishes. It had this sensual feel to it. And yet, she could read it plain and simple.

Of course there would be fairies in Frell! They were all over the damn continent!  
Ever since they (foolishly, Tania thought) abandoned their home, every human kingdom was secretly inhabited by a lot of them, living as simple people.

This message made her extremely curious. Why would there be a message calling fairies to the grove at midnight? And where _exactly_ was this grove?

She started at the last question. Why would she care where this grove was? She had already denied her people. She was no longer part of them. Actually, she never really was.

A woman brushed past her, causing Tania to snap out of her thoughts. "Madam, excuse me," she said, making the woman stop.

The woman gave her a look. "What is it?" she asked suspiciously, eyeing Tania's black garb.

"Do you know who wrote this?" Tania asked, gesturing towards the writing on the wall.

The woman looked over Tania's shoulder, then back at Tania. "I don't see anything," she said flatly.

Tania blanched. "You mean…y-you can't see the silver paint?"

The woman shook her head. "No. Sorry."

"That's…all right."

The woman nodded, and with a polite nod, walked away, leaving Tania in a complete daze.

_It must be some sort of special paint, _Tania thought. _Designed by magic so that only fairies are able to see it. _She glared angrily at that. _I don't need something to remind me who I am, thank you! _She shot the silver writing a contemptuous look.

She stomped away, oblivious to a pair of piercing eyes watching her every move.

* * *

Tania weaved through the busy Frellan streets in a small daze. She wasn't sure how long she had been walking, but she didn't care. She had nothing else to do anyway.

Earlier, she had told herself not to think more of that mysterious message, but found that she couldn't. Damn it! She actually _wanted _to know what was going to happen in the grove at midnight.

She frowned. _You want to find out what the fairies are up to, yet you abhor their race, _her mind sneered. _Disgraceful._

She winced. She did _not_ abhor her race! She just didn't want to be part of it. There was a big difference in that. She didn't hate the fairies. She never would.

_Grefin o resis evialin. Follow the markings._

_Rin aenos Dancing Flame. Start at the Dancing Flame._

So the markings that would lead to the grove started at the Dancing Flame.

Tania snapped out of her thoughts when an orange rolled off a fruit stand. She quickly picked up before it could roll any farther, and handed it back to the elderly vendor, who gave her a thankful smile before placing the orange back in the pile.

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the same silver message, written on the fruit stand. She looked at the old woman curiously. Was she a fairy? She decided not to jump to that. A fairy could have put it there without the woman knowing.

She walked on, and it didn't take her long to find the same message written on a house's wall. A few minutes later and she saw it on a wine barrel outside a tailor's shop.

They were everywhere. It almost drove her mad.

She halted when she saw it. Dancing Flame. It was a small but cosy-looking inn, the type that had honest and overly friendly innkeepers. Tania hesitated for a bit as she looked at it, but later on walked towards it. There she found a silver arrow on one of the windows. It was pointing west.

There was no harm in finding out where the grove was, right? She was merely satisfying her curiosity. She would just go and find out where it was, then go to the palace and forget about it. No harm there.

She headed west. The next arrow was pointing northeast. She took a deep breath and followed it.

Soon, after a series of silver arrows, she found herself walking towards the outskirts of Frell. Her surroundings had already changed, from houses and shops and busy streets, to a vast, green meadow. The silver arrows were glaring brightly right in the middle of a dirt road.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, she saw it. The grove. It was a wooded area that was surprisingly clustered with lanelin trees. Tania frowned. She recalled back to months ago, when she read about fairies.

_Weren't lanelin trees the dominant trees of Faylinn?_

The extremely tall lanelin trees were indeed a beauty. They had the greenest leaves, with shiny silver edging all around them. They would always be a remarkable green, even during the bleakest and coldest winters. They were rare trees, for it was difficult to maintain them. Tania was actually surprised that these were able to grow in Kyrria. She remembered reading that only Faylinn soil was _truly_ suitable for the lanelins, which meant that the ones before her should die soon.

Tania frowned as she stared thoughtfully at the grove. There was something special about it. Besides the fact that it was covered with the rarest and most beautiful trees, there was something else. She couldn't quite place her finger on it, but there was this…presence. It seemed familiar to her, but she couldn't identify it.

After trying to search for the answer and being unsuccessful at it, she forcefully shrugged it off and then thought, _Good. Now that I have satisfied my curiosity as to where the grove is, I can put this behind me. _

She didn't know how wrong she was.

* * *

A scowl was on Tania's lips as she walked back to the palace. And although her mask was concealing it, she still looked intimidating, for her brown eyes were flashing with anger.

_Why the HELL am I still thinking about that meeting at midnight? _she screamed in frustration. _I thought I'm over this!_

It was as if the bond between all fairies was wheeling her in. She felt as if she was being taunted, being reminded of who she was and always would be.

Suddenly, there was a shout amongst the crowd. Tania wheeled around in time to see a young, pretty girl running towards her, followed by three sweaty, breathless, and ruddy-faced men.

What happened next felt like it happened in slow motion. The girl turned her head, meeting Tania's eyes.

_Something_ passed between them as their eyes made contact. Tania stared deeply at those pale blue orbs, sensing this…strangeness. She noticed the desperation in them, as if pleading to be helped.

Tania did not know what came over her, but a split second later, she found herself blocking the men's path. The three stopped abruptly before her and glared angrily.

"Get out of the way, fool!" one of them shouted.

Tania looked at them icily. "No."

Another stepped forward and sent her a menacing stare. "Get out of the way," he growled. "Or we'll make you."

She responded with a smirk and a quirk of her eyebrow. "By all means, do try," she replied, amusement lacing her voice.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You're a cheeky fellow, aren't you?" He paused and eyed her up and down in a scrutinizing way. A smirk crawled on his lips. "I can crush your skull with one hand," he boasted. "And not even _flinch_."

"Oh, really?" From the corner of her eye, Tania saw that a small crowd had formed around them. So much for not getting into trouble. But it wasn't her fault! Really.

"Yes, really," the man said. He pulled out a sword, positioned himself, then smirked at her.

Tania replied by rolling her eyes. "Oh _please_. Another swordfight? I'm tired of those. Besides, you'll just lose."

The man's eyes darkened visibly. "You really are a cocky bastard."

"But I'm telling the truth!" she protested. "Just by looking at your stance, I can tell. It's all wrong."

The man snapped his fingers, and his two comrades stepped forward. "Three against one," he said smugly.

"That's just cowardly," Tania said. "Afraid of taking me by yourself?"

The man glared furiously at her. "**_GO!_**" he screamed.

All three of them advanced forward, razor-sharp swords in hand and angry, menacing glints in their eyes. The man Tania had taunted seemed the angriest: he looked very ready to kill. She didn't blame him. After all, whenever she was dressed as Viper, she tended to act smug. And whenever she was smug, she would tease her opponent. It was probably the outfit. It made her feel superior. Or maybe it was thought of her being the apprentice of a legendary warrior. That tended to make people very confident as well.

She quickly unsheathed her own sword. The blade glimmered against the sunlight, and the people around her held their breaths in anticipation. Tania assumed the fighting stance and focussed on her opponents.

Suddenly, the man in the middle lunged forward, but before his blade could touch Tania's, there was an interruption.

"Stop," said a sharp voice.

The noise died down immediately. Tania's attacker halted out of impulse. All four fighters in the ring turned simultaneously, and amongst the crowd, they saw a young man either in his late teens or early twenties. He was tall, with brownish red hair and pale eyes…just like the girl's.

_They're related, _Tania thought. As she looked at the man more closely, she found that it was obvious. Not only were the eyes the same, but the straight nose and pouty lips as well.

Behind the man were three others, also his age. Tania snorted quietly to herself when she saw some maidens of the crowd staring at them in great interest. Of course, Tania also thought the four were all very handsome, but she wasn't one to…goggle. Besides, she was supposed to be a man (well, more like a boy reaching manhood), so it would have been unpleasant if these young men caught her staring.

"Garret!"

Tania started. She had forgotten about the girl for a minute there. But there she was, standing naught but a metre behind Tania.

"Get my sister out of here," Garret, the youth with the light blue eyes, said.

Tania thought that Garret was talking to one of his comrades, but when she turned, she found him looking right at _her_. She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Me?"

He nodded gravely. "Yes. You. We'll take care of this," he said.

She shot him an uncertain look. "Um…all right." She turned to the girl. "Let's go."

The girl nodded and left with Tania, but not before shooting her brother a grin and saying, "Go get 'em."

* * *

Tania walked silently. Once in a while, she would glance at her companion, who was still wearing a grin on her face.

_She must admire her brother very much, _she thought wryly.

The girl couldn't have been more than twelve years old. She still had a childish face and those innocent eyes. Well, maybe they looked innocent on the surface, but what was underneath could be a very, very different story.

She was a pretty girl. She had those eyes identical to her brother's. Her long, dead-straight hair was the colour of wheat. No doubt she would be getting a lot of admirers later on in life.

Tania took a deep breath. "So," she said, "why were those men chasing after you?"

The girl shrugged, as if it wasn't important. "I stole their coin purses."

Tania stopped dead in her tracks, staring speechlessly at the young girl, who didn't look unperturbed by her own, little confession.

_Great, _Tania groaned,_ I just helped a felon._

The girl raised a questioning eyebrow. "Is something wrong?"

"You're a thief?!"

The girl shrugged again. "I'm a special kind of thief," she replied.

"Oh? What do you mean?"

"I'm a thief who steals from other thieves."

Tania stared at her. "Is that even possible?"

The girl shot her a long look.

"Well," she said, "they're stupid thieves."

She smirked and calmly walked on.

* * *

"This is where I leave you," the girl said brightly as they reached the eastern side of Frell.

Tania frowned. "Where's your brother?"

Her question was soon answered when the four young men she had seen earlier exited out of a tavern. Tania wasn't near enough to see their faces clearly, but she could tell that they had been in a fight. However, they did not look bad, meaning they definitely won the brawl.

"Bye," the girl said cheerfully. She was about to walk away but halted, remembering something. "By the way," she said, looking curiously at Tania, "my name is Brynn. And you are?"

Tania stared at her for a while, studying her. The girl seemed unfazed by it as she waited patiently for an answer. Finally, Tania nodded once and replied quietly. "Viper."

Brynn shot her an odd look. "All right. Bye, Viper."

"Bye."

Her young companion smiled politely and then headed towards her brother and his friends. What Tania did not know was that as soon as Brynn reached them, they bombarded her with questions about the mysterious, black-clothed stranger.

* * *

Tania still couldn't get it out of her head. She just _couldn't_.

"What's eating you, Nalyan?" Lucas said, taking his place beside her. The two were in Tania's balcony, which overlooked River Lucarno and the palace's training field. Since it was nighttime, nothing could be seen except for a dark expanse (which was the training field by day) and twinkling lights from the long river water.

Tania sighed softly and shook her head. "Nothing," she said glumly. Of course, that wasn't true, but she couldn't tell him what was bothering her. ("Oh, by the way, I'm a fairy…wonderful, huh? I kept it a secret because I hate being one and I don't want people to use me for their problems…so, that's my story…" Riiiiight. _That _would really go smoothly.)

"Doesn't seem like nothing to me," Lucas said with a frown.

She sighed again. "Nothing I can't handle by myself, Lucas," she said wearily. "But thank you for your concern."

He shot her a look, then shrugged. "Fine. I'll see you in the morning, all right? Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

* * *

Tania couldn't sleep. It must have been half past eleven, or close to that. Her mind was unease and she had this…feeling. She felt as if something was missing. She felt as if she was supposed to be doing something and not lying in bed. Groaning in frustration, she threw her covers aside, wrapped a warm robe around herself, and went to the balcony.

She leaned on the railings and sighed as she watched the river water wink at her. The moon was full and bright, and the sky, which was covered by a soft blanket of stars, was cloudless.

_A perfect night for a fairy meeting, _her brain teased.

Tania glared. _Why do I have the urge to go to this meeting?! _she shouted. _Why am I so curious? I thought I already turned away from THEM four months ago!!!_

She couldn't take it anymore. She straightened abruptly and quickly went back into her room. She opened her closet, which had three or four dresses in it (Queen Eleanor had insisted). Not bothering to see which dress would match her hair and whatnot, she took the first one her hand touched and pulled it out. It turned out to be a nice, light green dress with a tight bodice that tied at the front, flowing sleeves, and a long skirt. She donned this and wrapped a dark forest green cloak around her.

Hoping that she would have no interruptions along the way, she left her bedroom, fully intending to attend a special meeting tonight.

A/N:

What's going to happen?!?! Dun, dun, dun…weird, I'm having déjà vu right now. My sister is in the other room, I'm typing this sometime during the night…I DREAMT THIS BEFORE! Seriously. Anyway, that was a random comment, but…yeah… If you have questions, I'll be happy to answer them.


	5. The Meeting

A/N:

Hi, everyone! Here are my messages, answers, and whatnot:

1. Sonchika had a very good point. (When she released her powers wouldn't her eye color change back to purple since she has no powers to maintain the small magic?) I have thought of that as well, and my response: she needed magic to change her eye colour, so I guess she would also need magic to change it back.

2. I know you all want Darrin back, but _please _be patient! I will bring him back, I promise!

Many thanks to:

**azurestarr**

**sonchika **

**tayk **

**Gaerwen**

**sassafras**

**Daffodil8728**

**QueenSabriel5**

**CrimsonEnchantress**

**bella**

**Skeet **

**lady gwen**

**Danna **

**Moonjava**

**stubble96 **

**slickchick650**

**A Vision**

**awaiting impatient person **

**sealednectar**

**CaptainFantastic**

**Crazayladay**

**secludeddark**

A/N:

Okay, so…read on!

**_Warrior Blood_**

_What happened so far:_

Tania met Brynn, Garret, and Garret's friends on the streets of Frell. She found out that they were thieves who stole from other thieves. Also, she found a secret message on a wall, summoning fairies to the grove at midnight. Tania didn't know why, but found herself going to it…

**Chapter 5: The Meeting**

The grove was up ahead. Tania nervously fixed the hood of her cloak, for as she neared the grove, she felt the same, familiar presence crawl through her skin. It became stronger as she got closer to the vast cluster of trees. What was it?

All of a sudden, it hit her. Magic. It was magic she was sensing. Of course! It had been absent from her life for so long that she had almost forgotten what it felt like.

Almost. She stopped in the middle of the arrow-marked dirt road and closed her eyes. As she concentrated intently on her surroundings, she sensed the magic even more. When she strained her ears, she could hear it: a very soft and faint humming, mingling harmoniously with the wind. And, she could feel it: a powerful aura that made the hairs on her arms and neck rise.

She opened her eyes, ending her meditation. She frowned. It was odd the way the grove was dark and quiet. Not a soul was within sight, and an intense, unnatural silence filled the atmosphere. It made Tania wonder if there even was a meeting, for there was no sign of activity whatsoever.

She weaved through the trees, heading deeper and deeper into the woodland. The air was crisp and eerie, the wind howling softly between the rustling leaves.

Suddenly, something shiny caught her eye. Tania looked closer up ahead, and when she did, she saw it: a silver rune on a bark of one of the lanelins. She headed towards it cautiously, and when she was naught but a metre away from this particular tree, she stiffened. The magic. It was much, much stronger now.

Then she crossed the marked tree. When she did, she felt this powerful wave of magic ripple through her.

This was when everything changed.

Music. Light. Laughter. They were everywhere. Up ahead, there was a celebration going on. A large bonfire was in the middle, with people around it, chatting, laughing, and even dancing.

Tania, with her heart beating a mile a minute, took one step back, crossing the marked tree once more.

Silence. Complete silence. She looked up ahead and saw nothing but an expanse of darkness. She crossed the marked tree…

There they were again. Laughter and celebration.

_Magic, _Tania thought. _They used magic to create some sort of barrier and an illusion…_

No one had seen her so far. Tania quickly hid behind an ancient tree with a very thick bark. Very quietly and stealthily, she climbed up. She mentally thanked her cloak and the cluster of leaves for providing cover.

From above, she could see the whole celebration. Tania almost gasped when she saw how many fairies there were. There must have been at least two hundred of them! To the side, she saw a long table of food and drinks. In the middle was an enormous bonfire, and all around were people feasting.

She sat on a branch and watched them.

* * *

She didn't know how long she had been sitting on the branch, but it must have been an hour. During the course of the hour, all Tania did was observe her people. She had come to many findings that somewhat surprised her. One was that fairies were beautiful people. 

Everywhere she looked, she saw people with the most exquisite features. Sure, there were some gray-haired, wrinkled, and chubby ones, but she could tell that they were once beautiful. Age just came to them; that was all. But it was clear that beauty did grace them some time ago.

They knew all the languages. From above, Tania could hear some of the conversations going on, and when she did, she heard fairies talking in mixed languages: Ayorthaian, Kyrrian, Geldrinian, and many more. Because of this, she came to the conclusion that languages just came to fairies naturally. That explained why she had always been good at languages. Why she knew her own people's language.

She did find out a weakness. They were too trusting. They put too much faith in…pretty much everything. Many believed that redemption would come someday. Many believed that Faylinn would _somehow _be restored. It was all foolish talk, according to Tania.

There was one other thing that Tania found out. They hated their last queen. Anything about the queen that came from their mouths was either insulting or mocking.

_"She was weak," one declared. "I don't know what I'd do if I see her in Noewyn."_

_Another nodded in agreement. "I can't believe she abandoned her kingdom and people like that. She was one pathetic ruler. The Saeryl breaks into pieces, so she does as well. Pathetic! We would have been better off if Princess Laeris was the one made queen."_

_Tania looked curiously at the third member of the group, the one who did not speak a word, but just listened to the other two. Even from afar, she could see the fairy's eyes flash with pure anger. But the very strange thing was that she looked angry with her companions, not with the queen. _

_Then she spoke. Tania actually shivered when the fairy did, for the fairy's voice was filled with ice and venom._

_"The Queen went up eighteen years ago," she said. "Eighteen years! It's time to put it behind you!"_

_Her companion glared. "I'll do what I want to, Saphra," he said angrily. "I will never forget what that weakling did. Ever. And I won't let anyone forget. Every future children of our people deserves to know what she did."_

Tania snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a loud voice call for silence. The noise immediately died down, and everyone turned to look up at the raven-haired fairy floating a few feet in the air. Tania recognized her as Saphra, the previously angry fairy. Except she looked happy now, which made a big difference. She was cold and frightening before.

"Glad you all came," she said with a small smile. "As you already know, two of our people will be ascending tonight."

There were a few quiet murmurs in the crowd. Tania looked around and saw that a few were teary-eyed.

"Our friends Cyril and Tynan have decided that it is time for them to move on to the next part of life. We will be saying farewell to them tonight."

There were louder murmurs as Cyril and Tynan flew up next to Saphra. They were old people; they had grey hair and lines on their skin. Tania saw that they looked…spent. It was as if they had done everything there was out there.

"At the end of the night, we will witness their ascension, but as for now, let us celebrate with them and wish them happiness in the next chapter of their life. Let us remember that this is not a final goodbye." Saphra smiled. "After all, we will be seeing them again in the later years."

Then the three landed back on the ground, and the music and laughter started once again. Tania came to the conclusion that a celebration like this was considered a happy event, but a little sad as well. A bittersweet event. She sighed softly and leaned wearily against the bark.

Suddenly, she heard this very quiet noise behind her. Tania wheeled around immediately and saw…

Blue eyes. _Familiar _blue eyes.

"**_AHHHHHH!_**" she screamed before losing her balance and plunging headfirst to the ground…

She was falling. She felt her heart completely stop when she remembered that she couldn't fly. She closed her eyes and braced for the very painful impact on the ground.

_At least I'm immortal, _she thought wryly.

The severe pain never came. There was a quiet grunt from someone as she landed right on their strong arms.

Tania, when she felt impact with minimal pain, groaned softly and opened her eyes. She found herself staring at blue eyes, the same pair she saw from up the tree.

She froze. It was that man…that man from the street. Brynn's brother!

_Garret, _she recalled. _His name is Garret._

She suddenly remembered that she was still in his arms. She felt her cheeks heat up as she twisted out of his hold.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he drawled.

She stopped struggling and looked at him. "Why?" she demanded.

He looked down, then back up at her. "See for yourself," he said with a grin.

Tania looked down and saw that they were a couple of feet in the air. Her eyes widened. "Put me down!" she yelled.

"All right, all right," he said. "Calm down." He tightened his hold on her as they descended. When his two feet were safe on the ground, Tania wrenched herself off him.

"Thanks for scaring me like that, you jerk," she mumbled in Geldrinian as she dusted her dress. "Wonderful experience to see a pair of eyes looking at you when you're up a damn _high _tree."

"Why were you up there anyway?" he asked her, replying in Geldrinian. Tania saw that he was trying hard not burst out laughing. "Why not join the rest of the fairies? Are you afraid of your own kind?" he said jokingly.

She shot him a defiant look. "I'm not a fairy."

He snorted. "Oh please. Of course you are. You wouldn't have been able to pass through that barrier if you weren't."

She scowled. "Why is there a barrier anyway? I thought we're only allowed to use small magic."

He shrugged. "How about you ask everyone who's staring at you right now?" he said, an amused grin on his face.

Tania froze at that. "What…"

Slowly, very slowly, she looked around.

It felt as if a billion pairs of eyes of different colours (bright gold, shades of blue andgreen, dark amber, browns, silver, light orange, black, shades of purple, and many more) were staring at her. She realized that the music was gone, and so were the talking and laughing. Even the wind seemed to still.

"Um…hi?"

"Why were you hiding up that tree?" someone asked in the native tongue.

Tania shrugged. "I was…um…shy," she replied in the same tongue. (It was her first time to speak in the fairy language, yet it felt so…natural. As if she had been speaking in it since she was a child.)

There was silence. Tania felt her cheeks flame as they continued to stare at her.

Then there was a change. All of a sudden, a couple of the fairies either smiled or grinned. Then a few people started to chuckle. Soon, there was cheerfulness in the atmosphere.

"There's nothing to be shy about!" said one of the old fairies. She smiled. "All fairies are welcome here! Come and have something to eat or drink. My name is Cagney. What is your name, child?"

Tania smiled uncertainly. "Um…Tania."

"Well, Tania, where are your parents? Are they here?"

Tania shifted uncomfortably. "I…never knew them."

Silence engulfed them once again. The fairies resumed back to staring after this little confession. Tania felt herself flush once more. _Don't they know how unnerving it is to get stared at?!_

It was Cagney who broke the silence. "That's very strange," she said quietly. "Can you tell us their names?"

Tania froze as a sudden memory from months ago came to her. _Greilah plen, o Tania val…Este'Adelle Lovrin mal…_

When she finally spoke, she spoke quietly and uncertainly. "Actually…yes, I think. My mother…I think her name was Adelle."

There was a loud gasp among the fairies. Their eyes widened.

Then a man stepped forward. "You're not to speak that name out loud!" he shouted at Tania.

Tania started. "Why not?!"

He glared at her. "You wretched…"

"**_STOP!_**"

Tania, the man, and the rest of the fairies turned simultaneously. They held their breaths when they realized that it was Saphra who shouted, and her beautiful golden eyes were blazing dangerously. Tania figured that this fairy was probably of high rank back in Faylinn, to have such respect from the fairies. Maybe she used to be a duchess or a marchioness.

"Adelle was a very common name among our people, Briac," she said to the angry man. She turned to Tania. "Do you know her last name?"

Tania fidgeted under everyone's gazes. "Er…Lovrin," she replied. When she did so, she saw almost all the fairies breathe a sigh of relief. They broke into relieved grins and began to talk animatedly to each other. Soon the merriment recommenced, as if nothing strange had happened five seconds ago.

Tania, a frown marred on her face, turned to Saphra. "What just happened?" she asked.

Saphra smiled understandingly. "You don't know much about your race, Tania?"

Tania shrugged. "I grew up with humans. What happened?"

Saphra's expression darkened. "Adelle was the name of the last queen," she said gravely. "Adelle Esturion. The name 'Adelle' used to be a very popular name eighteen years ago and beyond that, because during the First Aeon, a legendary woman, who was named Adelle, was the one who led the Nalyan Riders to victory during the final battle of the Gorivan War. In fact, Tania, there are about eighteen Adelle's here at the moment." A wry smile then formed on her lips. "But of course, none go by that name anymore. Not since the last queen's abandonment of her people. It is considered shameful."

"So…fairies hate Queen Adelle because she went up to Noewyn?"

Saphra nodded. "Do you know about the Saeryl?"

"It was a jewel, with the ability to either heal or destroy," Tania replied.

"Yes, but do you know why it was important?"

"Well," Tania began, "I read in a book that it was what bound the fairies together. Its powerful aura was what maintained peace and prosperity back when there was a Faylinn."

"Yes," Saphra said with a sad smile, "so you do know a lot about the Saeryl. Basically, when it shattered, the fairies went mad…well, maybe not _mad_, but…distressed. And after this happened, they turned to the Queen, who was the only one who can do big magic, for guidance…only to find out that she was gone."

"How did the fairies know that she went up to Noewyn?"

"There were witnesses, Tania," Saphra said. "About eighty fairies, maybe even more, saw her fly up. They didn't want to believe it, but they knew it was the truth."

"And what about this…Princess Laeris?"

Saphra shot her an odd look. Then she said, "She was Queen Adelle's older sister. She was supposed to have the crown, but Queen Adelle got it instead."

"Do you think it would have been better if she was the one crowned?"

Saphra was quiet for a while. Then, she said softly, "I do not think so. I knew her personally, Tania. And she lacked the wisdom to rule a kingdom. She was very brave and high-spirited, but she lacked the wisdom."

"But…"

"No more questions, Tania," Saphra cut in gently. "No more questions."

Tania looked at her strangely. "Um…all right…"

Saphra nodded. "I'll see you later."

A pensive frown formed on Tania's face as she watched Saphra walk away. _She's so sad, _she thought. _She almost reminds me of…Caelan. They're so alike._

"You know, this is a celebration, so stop frowning," said a voice.

Tania turned and saw Garret. "Oh. You," she said flatly.

He grinned. "Yes. Me. And to answer your previous question, yes, fairies are only allowed to use small magic, but when you bring together a lot of small magic from the fairies of Frell and the neighbouring cities, then you can use it to do something big. By the way, this is my sister, Brynn."

Brynn, who was standing next to her brother, smiled at Tania. Tania, since she was not dressed as Viper, pretended not to know her.

"Nice to meet you, Brynn," she said with a smile. "My name is Tania."

"Hello."

Then, Garret's three friends, the ones who fought Brynn's pursuers earlier that day, came over to them. One of them, who had long blond hair tied into a low ponytail, shook his head at Garret.

"Nope," he said. "No sign of him."

Brynn groaned. "You're mad! Why the hell do you think he's a fairy?!"

Garret glared at his sister. "I _told _you! I saw him reading the message on the wall!"

Brynn rolled her eyes. "Maybe he just happened to glance at the wall."

"For that long? I don't think so! I could tell that he could actually _see_ the silver writing!"

Tania, curious to know what this argument was all about, spoke up. "So…what's going on?"

Brynn waved her hand dismally. "Oh, my stupid brother here thinks that this man we met today is a fairy."

"What was his name again?" Garret's curly-haired friend said.

Garret rolled his eyes. "For the last time, Braeden, it's _Viper_."

Tania stiffened. Viper…they were looking for her?! They saw her reading the message on the wall?! What…stalkers!

"Actually he could be here," the blond man said. "He's just not wearing his black garb, that's all."

"Maybe," Braeden said, "but that's unlikely."

Garret nodded. "I think so, too." He turned to his sister. "Could you tell what he looked like, Brynn?"

Brynn groaned in frustration. "For the last time, _Garret_, I could NOT see anything!" She paused. "Well, except for his eyes. His eyes were brown…exactly like Tania's, actually."

All five of them turned simultaneously to her.

**Reference**

1. When Tania was in Geldrin, she came to the outskirts of a very large forest called Emerlin Forest. Darrin, her bodyguard,was also with her. There she heard a song sung to her, telling her this: "...that you are _the_ Tania...Adelle Lovrin's gem." The song also called her to enter the mysterious forest, but she never did. Darrin did not hear any of this.

2. Caelan was a fairy who made weapons.

3. Tania's reference to: "At least I'm immortal." She was not worried when she was falling off the tree because fairies cannot die permanentlyfrom such a death. A fairy's spirit can only leave if it suffers from emotional pain, or if it is hurt by powerful magic. If a fairy gets sick, drowns, gets stabbed, etc., she/he will die, but will resurrect five minutes later. These five minutes are used to heal/restore the body.

4. Tania used to have purple eyes, but she changed into brown.

5. A fairy does age. However, when he/she reaches 30 years, his/her aging process slows down tremendously. Therefore, a fairy who is actually fifty years old can look like a thirty-year-old. So, I would say that a fairy with grey hair and wrinkly skin would be 200 years old, which is the usual age fairieschooseto soarup to Noewyn.

6. Noewyn is a haven for fairies alone. No one knows exactly where it is, but it is way beyond the clouds. Once a fairy soars up there, there is no return. Therefore, extremely little is known about this place and what happens when a fairy gets to it.

7. It is not unusual for fairies to have eye colours of gold, purple, etc. While that is unusual for humans, it is not for fairies.

8. And as I said in Fairy Blood, I am not going to be strict on the boundary between small magic and big magic. If you think that a fairy is doing "big magic," just assume it's small magic, unless I specifically say that it is big magic. (Like that gift of obedience to Weston...if you don't know what I'm talking about, then just let it go.)

Okay, so...I think that's it. If I missed anything, let me know. And one last thing: if you haven't read Fairy Blood, can you please say so? Because I really need to know who's reading this that does not know what happened in Fairy Blood. Thank you!


	6. Unlikely Encounter

A/N:

Here's the next chapter! And in case you're curious, I'm still working on "A Happy Ending?" Yes, I have already started the next chapter. Anyway, I have an important announcement to make! I am in the process of editing Fairy Blood, though I'm not going to make you guys read it again. It's only for those who have not read it yet.

Furthermore, I'm changing Nalyan to Caelion, which is already certain, so don't be surprised when Lucas starts calling her Caelion. Any other changes are minor, I think. And I have somewhat altered Tania's scenes with Darrin. I'm already in the process of editing chapter six of Fairy Blood. Anything else? Hmm…that's it for now, I think. Moving on…

Answers, messages, and whatnot:

1) Yes, I put "Nalyan Riders" on purpose (except soon it's going to be Caelion Riders). If you don't know what I'm talking about, Saphra (the golden eyed fairy) mentions something about Nalyan Riders.

Special thanks to:

**veir**

**smartblondee** You know what, I've never really thought about that before. When I read it in my mind, I say it the way you say "Tanya." How do you say it?

**idontlikemilk**I haven't introduced the prince yet.

**CrimsonEnchantress** Yeah, that's so true. It's not really that related to Ella Enchanted. Anyway, this chapter doesn't have a cliffy!!!

**jar4christ**

**stubble96**

**bluelilyoflove**

**sassafras**

**jaioublie**

**awaiting**** impatient person**

**AngelFromDaMoon**So true. It is going slow, I know. And yes, I do have an outline for it. I don't know why it's going slow…oh well. I guess it's because I have a lot to reveal/introduce here and there.

**CaptainFantastic**

**lady**** gwen**

**Crazayladay**She does have brown hair. Chestnut-brown hair, to be exact. You know what, at first I didn't know what chestnut-brown hair was, I just thought it sounded cool, but after searching from google (good old google) I realized that it's dark brown hair. I just learned this a few days ago, I think.

**whiskeygirl**

**bella**Yeah, they're fairy thieves, but their targets are _other _thieves.

**QueenSabriel5 **Aww, thank you! But no way…my works are nothing compared to those published ones.

**bwahahah**

**littlelambug**Yeah, she does have her own faults. I didn't want to have a perfect heroine. Or else I would have gotten sick of my own story.

**azurestarr**

**don't-****ask**

**Basketball Girl**

**tay**

**Tamaran**** Girl**

**Gaerwen**

**A Vision**

**Ginerva**** Lily**

**seculdeddark**

**slickchick650**

**Rowenhood**

You guys ROCK!!! Thank you so much for everything! If I missed you, that was purely UNintentional, but I give you every right to yell at me. Anyway, read on…

**_Warrior Blood_**

_What happened so far:_

Tania went to the fairy meeting. She met Brynn, Garret, and Garret's friends (Braeden and the others' names are not yet revealed) at the meeting, which meant that they were all fairies. Tania found out that these new acquaintances were curious about Viper.

**Chapter 6: Unlikely Encounter **

Garret peered right into Tania's widened eyes. Then he snorted and shook his head. "A great help, sister dear," he said sarcastically. "Plain old brown ones…"

"Thanks," came Tania's dry reply.

Garret, ignoring her, scowled at his sister. "I guess that narrows it down to…I don't know…a lot of people?"

Brynn glared. "Well, _sorry _for not being a good help."

He smirked. "You're forgiven."

She rolled her eyes. "Forget about him, Garret. Who _cares_ if he wants to hide his identity? Leave him alone."

"It makes him suspicious," Braeden piped up.

The others nodded in agreement. Brynn just rolled her eyes once again and muttered the word "stalkers," which Tania secretly agreed to with all her heart. Why were they so curious about her other self anyway?

Suddenly, Brynn jumped and flew in the air. "Come on, Tania," she invited cheerfully. "Let's go get a drink."

Tania felt her back stiffen. Remembering that she could not flyor have any other type of power was _not_ pleasant at all. She even felt a bit of envy upon seeing Brynn floating oh-so-casually in the air. Sighing inwardly, she said, "Actually, I have to go now. Bye."

She walked off —almost ran—immediately, not giving Brynn or the others a chance to speak. The moment she passed through the barrier, the music and laugher vanished, and a cold silence hung in the air.

She fixed her hood and made her way back to the palace.

* * *

When Tania woke up in the morning, she dressed herself in Viper's attire and headed down. She was at the palace garden when she heard a familiar voice say her name. When she turned, she was surprised to see Farvon. She hadn't seen him a long time since he was always busy. 

"Have you seen Lucas?" he asked.

"No. Why?"

He grinned. "Well, since I have a free day today, I was hoping we could go somewhere and train."

Tania looked at him amusedly. "But that's all you've been doing," she said. "Training soldiers. Aren't you tired of it?"

"Not when it's with you," he said cheekily.

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Oh, you flatter me. Anyway, where else would Lucas be but in the training field?"

"Ah, true. Shall we go to him then?"

She smiled and nodded. "Why not? I'd love to duel against him once more."

It didn't take them long to reach the training field, since it was next to the palace garden. Sure enough, Lucas was there, watching a duel between two men.

"Hey, Lucas, wipe that smirk off your face and let's go," Tania said to him from behind.

Lucas wheeled around. "What smirk? And what do you mean 'let's go'?"

She looked at him impatiently. "You always smirk when you watch a duel because you always find some fault in the fighter's technique or whatnot. And let's go because Farvon is training us somewhere."

Lucas's eyes flickered towards Farvon in surprise, as if he hadn't noticed him earlier. "Really? You're not busy today?"

Farvon shook his head. "No. And the next training day for you two won't be until…I don't know…perhaps a couple of weeks."

"So hurry up and get your weapons," Tania said.

Lucas nodded. "All right."

The three left the training field, but not before some of the inhabitants of it caught sight of Farvon and began to praise him or compliment him. When Farvon was finally able to get rid of them, they headed towards the stables and mounted their horses.

"So…where to?" Lucas asked.

"A familiar place to you," Farvon replied.

"And me?" Tania piped up.

"No. This was before you came. Do you know what I'm talking about, Lucas?"

Lucas nodded slowly. "I think so…_the_ _cliff_?"

Farvon smiled. "Yes. The cliff." Not bothering to explain anything to Tania, he kicked his horse lightly and began to lead the way. Said girl could only watch him bewilderedly and irritably as he rode away.

"Get ready," came a sudden whisper Tania's ear. She turned abruptly and glared at Lucas, who was shooting her a mysterious, yet mischievous look.

"What are you talking about?" she demanded.

"Get ready," Lucas repeated, "because you're in for a hard day of training."

* * *

The cliff was, indeed, a remarkable cliff. It was steep, but not in a way that scared Tania. She had seen steeper ones. However, the cliff _was_ high. It couldn't have been less than thirty feet. And down below, at the bottom, was a section of River Lucarno. At the very top was a small empty space, then the entrance to a forest. 

"So…this is the cliff?" Tania asked, wondering why it was so special.

"Yes," Farvon said with a nod, "this is the cliff. And _you_, Tania, are going to climb it, while Lucas and I are at the top, training with the sword."

Tania froze. "What?" she almost yelled. "You want me to…to…climb that…thing?"

"Yes," Farvon said calmly and patiently. "You will climb it. It tests your patience, determination, and ability to seek out new technique. I made Lucas do it as well. All my special trainees go through it"

"And it took me a billion hours," Tania heard Lucas mumble under his breath.

She pretended not to have heard that. "But…what if I fall?" she said shakily.

"Tania, do you really I think I'd be careless? Of course we'll use a rope to secure your safety."

Tania looked exasperatedly at her master. The expression on his face was one of finality. His mind was set; no one could change it. So she had no choice in the matter. It was part of the training, and she could not be excluded from it.

"Fine," she said in defeat.

A couple of minutes later and she found herself at the bottom, with a rope secured tightly around her waist. Lucas and Farvon were no where in sight, for they headed for the top (along with the other end of Tania's rope).

Tug. Tug. Tug.

Three tugs. That meant all was ready, and she could start. Tania exhaled deeply and began to climb. She dug one foot in a crevice, the other on a stable rock, and reached for a crack above. Then she lifted foot to a higher rock, and reached for a rock above. This went on and on, looking for crevices or cracks, or stable spots, or fixed rocks.

_This isn't so bad, _she thought later on, after what felt like an eternity. _If I keep this up, I'll get to the top in no time._

Her arms began to lose strength in the middle or it, or maybe just one-third of it. She reached up for a rock, but could not hoist herself because her arms were too tired. She groaned, placed her hand back to the previous rock, and remained where she was, motionless and breathing heavily.

_My arms are just about to give out. I can't carry myself anymore._

She was stuck. She was plain stuck. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, trying to get herself to relax and find a way to solve this.

_So if my arms are too tired…_

_My legs.__ I can put most of the pressure in my legs._

It made sense. She could use her legs to do all the power, while her arms could be just used for steadying herself. It did make sense…

_Well, that's the only plan I have. Might as well use it._

She set to work. She placed a foot in a crevice, and used the strength in her legs to hoist herself up. She used her hands to just _hold_ onto a rock or a crevice, but not actually _carry _herself with. There was a major difference.

She was getting closer to the top now. _How much time has passed? _she thought, beads of perspiration pouring down her forehead. _Are they even still up there? _

She was getting much closer. Ten more feet to go…

Eight…

Six…

Four…

Three…

Two…

One…

She groaned as she hoisted herself up the flat terrain. Completely worn-out, she collapsed on the ground, not carrying if she dirtied herself. After all, she was already dirty from climbing the cliff.

_How long did it take me? _she wondered. _It couldn't have been less than three or four hours. _Groaning quietly, she half-heartedly untied the rope from her waist and threw it away from her.

"Get up."

Tania's eyes immediately opened in alarm. Why? Well, probably because she _knew _that that voice was neither Lucas's, nor Farvon's. She got up hastily, and found herself gaping at a complete stranger with a sword in his hand.

He almost looked like her. He was dressed all in black, like her. The only difference was the mask. While the mask she wore covered the bridge of her nose and down, therefore showing her eyes, the mask that he wore covered his face entirely. It was like a black veil. A very thick black veil, for she could not even see his eyes or the colour of his skin. She wondered how he could see through it.

His hair she could not see either, for the hood of his cloak was pulled up. The only thing she could tell was that he was tall. The top of her head only reached just slightly above his shoulders.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"Unsheathe your sword," was his reply. "We're going to have a duel."

She wanted to yell at him. Her arms were aching, her legs were aching, and her head was aching. She could barely stand, so how on _earth_ could she fight him?

She peered at him. "Um…you do realize that I just finished climbing this cliff, right?"

"We never know when we are attacked," he replied. "You should be ready at all times."

Tania frowned slightly. She could have _sworn_ there was amusement in his voice. Where was Farvon? Where was Lucas? Did he do something to them? No…it would take a lot of men to overpower Lucas and Farvon. So who was he?

She voiced that question out loud.

He replied by pointing the sword right at her. "Unsheathe your sword," he said firmly, "and stop asking questions."

She glared at him. "Fine!" She unsheathed her sword in one fluid motion. The moment she did, she leaped forward and attacked him. He blocked her, sidestepped, and swiped for her thigh, in such a way that caught Tania off guard.

_No way. No. Way. There is no WAY someone can move THAT quickly, _she thought in shock.

"Good footing and good speed," he said, blocking her attacks confidently and almost _breezily_, which angered her. "But you have to put more strength in your swings."

_He's stealing my role. I'm supposed to do the comments! _

"Well, try climbing up a cliff and then being forced to fight some cocky stranger!" Tania retorted angrily. The moment she said this, she thought she heard a snort come from the trees nearby. She glanced at that direction suspiciously, but then forgot about it as she narrowly dodged an attack. She glared and thrust her blade toward his abdomen. He parried and mocked her attack, which she avoided quickly.

"Pretty good for someone who barely has no strength," he said lazily. "Impressive." He then finished the duel by doing a combination of a vertical cut, followed by a smooth downward swinging cut, then a swift kick to her knees. She fell clumsily to the ground, and since she had already lost most of strength during the climb, could not avoid his sword in time.

"All right, you win, Oh Mighty One," she said dryly, raising her hands up in mock surrender. "Put the sword down."

He sheathed his sword. Tania stood up and dusted her clothes.

"So…who are you and why the hell did you want to duel?"

"I told you to go easy!" suddenly came a frustrated voice. The two turned simultaneously and saw Farvon coming out of the trees, followed by Lucas.

The man in black snorted. "I did."

Farvon glared at him. "Sh...he is a beginner. He has only been training for about four months. You should have done your _easiest_."

"All right, all right," the man replied. "I'm sorry." He turned to Tania. "Sorry."

She looked suspiciously at him, then pretty much exploded. "_Who are you?!_" She turned to Farvon. "_You were in on this?!_"

Farvon shifted awkwardly. "Yes, though it was not originally planned. This young man here, while on the road in Araven Forest, just happened to hear Lucas and me duelling. Then I asked him to fight you so that I could see how well you could fight without much of your energy."

"So…you asked a stranger to fight me?"

Farvon chuckled. "No, not a stranger."

"What do you mean?"

He grinned slowly. "_I _was the one who taught him how to fight. And to tell you the truth, he is one of my top students," he said, smiling proudly at the man in black.

Tania was shocked. Even though she was still wearing her mask, she _knew _she looked shocked. Slowly, very slowly, she turned to her former opponent. "Who are you?" she whispered.

She could almost see him grinning. "Oh, where are my manners?" he said, ignoring the fact that she had already asked this question two times before. He swept a mocking bow, then said, "You can call me Ryder."

Tania froze once more. Ryder?! _The _Ryder?! The legendary warrior who had been roaming the entire Tierra Continent, hunting down criminals and helping in battles? No! That was…impossible!

"You're not Ryder," she said flatly.

"Oh? Why do you think so?" he said, obvious amusement lacing his voice.

"Well…even though you _are_ wearing his outfit, you're not him. Ryder is seven feet tall. And burly," she said, eyeing his muscular (_definitely_ muscular), but not _burly_ frame. "Also, he can crush a man's skull with two hands."

He chuckled. "Ah, yes. The stories they say about me. Didn't you ever stop to think that maybe, just maybe, the things you hear are exaggerated? It's simple, really. When you do a lot of heavy travelling, rescuing, and whatnot, people tend to be awestruck. And when they are awestruck, they tend to exaggerate."

Tania paused. That _did_ make sense. However, she still refused to believe him. _How_ could this man be Ryder? It was impossible! Wasn't it…?

"Prove it," she challenged. "Show me your crest."

He paused for a while. Tania could feel him gazing intently at her, but she wasn't sure, since she couldn't see his eyes. After a moment of silence, he shrugged, then pulled something out of his shirt. It was a long silver chain, and attached to it was a silver crest with Ryder's well-known symbol on it: a broadsword with a snake coiled around it, and a dragon in the background. The dragon was facing sideways, and the one eye that could be seen was a tiny ruby. They symbol overall was an intricate design, something that was extremely difficult to copy.

"It can't be," Tania whispered as she gazed at it.

"Why not?" he asked, putting the crest back into his shirt. "I travel everywhere. Why can't I be in Frell?"

"Are…are you here for the tournament?"

He burst out laughing. "No," he replied. "I don't need to prove myself."

"Then why are you here?"

"We need to go now," Farvon interrupted. "Ryder, where are the others?"

Ryder waved his hand towards Araven Forest. "Waiting at the south entrance," he replied. "We are headed for the palace."

Tania frowned when she thought about the "others". She remembered that Ryder was supposedly a leader of six knights. Was that what Farvon meant by "others"?

"Then let's go," Farvon said, beginning to lead the way. Lucas and Tania followed, and Ryder walked right behind them. Tania couldn't help but feel unnerved by that. She snuck a sideway look, wondering if Lucas was as well.

He was not. In fact, he looked completely calm.

_He doesn't look disturbed by this at all, _she thought in disbelief.

"Do you know Ryder?" she spoke up.

Lucas glanced at her. "Of course," he said nonchalantly. "We trained together for a while."

She frowned, but didn't say any more. _I can't believe this. I can't believe _the _Ryder had been one of Farvon's trainees! And Lucas had trained with him? Does this mean that he _has_ seen his face? Wait…if this is true, IF Ryder had been a trainee of Farvon, then he _cannot_ be in his 30's, as people believe him to be…_

Because she was lost in her own thoughts, she didn't notice that Lucas was already ahead, walking alongside Farvon, and Ryder was now walking right beside her. It was only when she almost tripped on a stick (she was relieved that she didn't _actually_ trip…she would never have been able to live though the humiliation) when she realized this. Cautiously, very cautiously, she snuck a sideway look.

He looked more like a villain than a hero. He looked too intimidating. Weren't heroes supposed to be approachable? She then raised an eyebrow as she observed the way he walked. Either he had _amazing _boots, or he was light-footed. Barely a sound could be heard as he walked on the forest path. (Did the training do that to him? How long had he been under Farvon's guidance anyway?) And he walked proudly, as if he was walking down a military line, observing the troops.

"Lad," he suddenly said, making her jump, "are you finished gawking at me?"

Tania scowled furiously. "I was _not _gawking at you."

A sound escaped from his lips, which sounded _a lot _like a snort. "All right. If you say so."

"I was not!" she bellowed. She glared at him, then quickened her pace. She didn't want any more of _him._

She barely made a few steps forward when his voice _somehow_ got her to slow down. (What was it about that voice?!)

"Nice outfit, by the way," he said breezily. "I'm _sure_ it's just coincidence that it looks like mine. Except for the mask. Kid, why do you wear a mask?"

She snorted. "Kid? What makes you think I'm a _kid_?"

"Easy," he replied. "Your voice. You can't be older than fourteen. Now answer my question."

"How about this, _Ryder_," Tania retorted. "Show your face and I will show you mine, all right?"

She was met with silence. She frowned and shot him a curious look, but he didn't even turn to her.

After a long moment, he finally spoke.

"All right," he said. "Remember that promise."

She snorted. "It's not like it's going to happen," she said. "You have no idea who I am, so why would you reveal your identity to me? It's foolish."

He shrugged. "We shall see."

They had reached the south entrance of Araven Forest, and not too far away, Tania could see seven war-horses and six riders, all looking professional and intimidating. So she _was_ right. Ryder did have knights. Said man whistled shrilly, and when he did, a black stallion answered and came trotting over to him.

"This is Arres," he said as he patted his horse. He then began to speak to him quietly, in a language not Kyrrian.

"You know Venesian?" Tania spoke up, eyeing him curiously. He turned to her abruptly, and was silent. Once again, she could feel him gazing at her, even though she couldn't see his eyes. Damn that mask! It was unnerving! She wanted to see the expression in his eyes, to know what was going through his mind.

Finally, he turned back to his stallion. "I know a lot of languages," he replied. "I got Arres while I was on a mission in Venesia." After a final pat, he mounted his horse very gracefully. Tania almost resented him for it. Wasn't there one thing he couldn't do well?

"I'll see you later." He was about to ride off when he suddenly paused, then turned to Tania. "By the way, been in any other brawls lately?"

_What? What is he talking about?_

Tania frowned. _Wait a minute…_

She stared at him, speechless. She stood rooted on the ground as she recalled back to many days ago, during a stopover…_that _man was him?! The cloaked man who had stared at her was _him_?!

She could barely utter her words. "That was you?" she said in disbelief.

She could almost see him smirking. "You fight pretty roughly," he said amusedly. "You broke that man's nose." He then gave her a short nod, kicked his horse at the sides lightly, and rode off. His six other knights, who had been talking with Farvon and Lucas, followed thereafter.

He was at the front, leading the way. The people of Frell were in for a surprise.

A/N:

Well, that was chapter six! And Ryder is…? I don't know, you tell me! And here's a question: Do you think I should change Tania's eyes from purple to light amber? Light amber, I guess, would be a darkish yellow. I'm really leaning towards that because I don't want Tania to be similar to that girl from Lioness Rampant.


	7. To Trust Someone

A/N:

You guys are soooooo awesome!!! Love you all! Thank you, thank you, thank you: **Yeah, like I would tell YOU my NAME!!!, PLEAZ UPDATE, InfinityGemini: **Thank you! Very, very helpful!** shopping101, flamingirl, dancrchick, idontlikemilk, Lydia Gwyn, pixiegurl, butterscotchwarrior, awaiting impatient person: **Thank you!! And don't worry. Christian and Gavin will come back. And I could put in a fist-fight, but then they're _best friends_. And I'm always against friendship being broken because of a girl (or guy).** shopper101: **Hahaha. I really wish, but my works/ideas are so mediocre compared to the ones that do get published.** sassafras, lady gwen, Crazayladay: **Sorry! I didn't mean to offend. But I'll remember now that her name is Alanna. Lol.** greeniegurl101: **Thank you! And Darrin's coming back, just wait and see.** Ginevra lily, Kola-Pup, Aarzu: **Aw, you don't like Ryder? I love Ryder! Oh well…maybe you'll change your mind after reading this chapter…?** d, Elyse Bennet, CrimsonEnchantress: **Yup! I'll definitely let you guys know if I made any changes.**, stubble96, kkroonie, Valiant Warrioress: **Actually, when I started this, I tried writing it LOTR style (sort of), but later on found out that I couldn't. I tried, but I just could. Sad really. Though it I can do it, I definitely would. **CaptainFantastic: **River Lucarno is from _Ella Enchanted_. I used this river in A Happy Ending? as well.**, jaioublie: **Nah. Remember that he wears a mask, so people all around just began assume that he's in his thirties. But no one knows for sure if he is or not.** azurestarr, Rowenhood, smartblondee: **Lol, I just got your name now. Shows you how slow I am. Your name actually made me laugh out loud.**, Basketball Girl, Gaerwen, jar4christ, Vanessa-Black and Zabini, Daffodil8728, Skeet, secludeddark, A Vision: **Thank you so much for pointing out that mistake. Yeah, it's a mistake. A big one on my part. Anyway, the moment I read your review, I was like, "Crap!" Then I went and changed it instantly.** Danna, whiskeygirl**

If I missed you, you can yell at me. Now, here are my comments/answers:

1) Since most of you like Tania's eyes purple/violet, I will not change it.

2) I'm still in the process of editing _Fairy Blood_. I'll let you know if there are any big changes.

3) Last of all, I got a flame for _Fairy Blood_. I know the story's not that great, Gothamin, but did you _have _to be so acidic? Sheesh. If you're reading this, my reply to you is in my profile.

**Chapter 7: ****To Trust Someone**

"I'm sure that right about now, people are out on the streets, cheering him," Tania mused aloud as they rode back to the palace.

"No," Farvon replied, glancing at her curiously. "They have taken the Araven Road. Ryder is not the type who enjoys getting attention. He's a very reserved man. If we take the usual route, we might meet up with them three-fourths of the way."

Their dirt path united with Araven Road a few minutes later. The three weren't on the road for too long when the sound of thundering hoofbeats alerted them of approaching company. They looked back and caught sight of Ryder, still leading his legion of six knights.

When the two parties united, Farvon and Lucas joined Ryder at the front, with only an exchange of nods as greeting. Tania meekly rode at the very end of the line; for some reason, she did not want to be noticed. The knights regarded her with evident curiosity, but they remained silent.

They rode to the palace in the same manner. The sound of hooves trampling on dry, cracked ground was all that could be heard. Tania used this opportunity to study the men before her.

Through silent observation, she noticed that though these knights were heavily armed, they wore no armour, save vambraces worn to protect the forearms. None of them wore chainmails or helmets. Their attire was just like Lucas's or Farvon's. The weapons, however, were the opposite. While armours were scarce, arms were not. Each had a sheathed dagger worn on one side of the waist, a sword on the other. Two were carrying their own longbow, while three others had their own crossbow connected to the saddle.

Ryder seemed to be the odd one out. Tania could only remember him with one weapon: the broadsword he used during their little duel. Though this was the only weapon of his that she knew of, she suspected that he was the one most heavily armed. His other weapons were just concealed extremely well.

The knights were all young. None of them looked like they were older than thirty, so it made her wonder exactly how old _Ryder_ was. They all rode in a way that expressed great authority. They were poised and confident, and they were very watchful of their surroundings. She could tell by the way they rode.

"Viper!"

Tania snapped out of her thoughts when she saw Farvon riding towards her. She gave him a questioning look and said, "What is it?"

He grinned at her. "Your training for today is not over. However, since I have matters to attend to, you will have to train under someone else's guidance." His grin grew wider. "Ryder has agreed to take the job. And don't worry. He is an expert on pretty much all types of combat. You will be in very, very good hands."

Tania gaped at him. She then looked at the knights riding in front of her and saw them exchange glances. She could tell what they were thinking: _Why would Ryder give so much attention to him? He, who is a mere beginner, not to mention…how old? _

They did have a point. Why on Tierra would Ryder, _the _Ryder, agree to train her? It didn't seem right. Or plausible.

In need to receive an answer that would satisfy her, she rode forward, catching up with Ryder at the front. She rode nearby and looked pensively at him.

After a period of silence, he acknowledged her with a slight turn of his head. It was enough to encourage her to speak.

"Why did you agree to train me?" she asked, not oblivious to the fact that the knights behind her were listening and waiting for an answer as well.

Ryder shrugged. "I have a lot of free time. And I won't be leaving Frell anytime soon."

"But that doesn't explain why you would waste your time with me."

She could almost see him raise his eyebrow. "Waste time?" he echoed. "Do you really think so?"

"Well, not _waste_ time, but…"

The sentence trailed off as Tania looked suspiciously at her surroundings. She seemed to be in the fairly large forest that was located at the eastern side of the palace. She knew that the eastern side had a gate, but was mostly forgotten since it was rarely used. This did not, however, stop the King from placing forty guards there. He was a protective man.

She thought that that was where they were heading, so she was surprised when Ryder led them somewhere else. She found herself dismounting, along with the others, in the middle of the forest.

The silence was heavy. Tania wondered what they were doing there, in the middle of nowhere. She leaned against a large, grey boulder and watched confusedly as five of the seven knights took torches from their packs and lit them.

"Move out of the way, Tania," Farvon said sternly. "You don't want to get hurt, do you?"

Tania looked at him bewilderedly, but obeyed nonetheless. She left her spot and stood beside Lucas, who patted her absent-mindedly on the shoulder as he watched Ryder step forward and stand right in front of the boulder she had been leaning against five seconds ago. She shot him a confused look, then turned. The moment she did so, Ryder muttered something under his breath…

The boulder began to split, startling Tania. She took a step back. She was the only one to do so. The others seemed unperturbed it, as if they had been expecting exactly _that _to occur.

The crack ran around the boulder smoothly, until it had carved one gigantic circle. Tania watched in amazement as the circular piece of rock pulled itself out, and rolled to the side, revealing a very dark opening.

She froze. _No…we are _not _going in there…No…_

One knight stepped forward and entered, with a torch in one hand and the reins of his horse in the other. Tania waited for the horse to go rowdy because of the darkness, but all it did was snort and trot on.

The other knights followed. Ryder stood at the side, holding his own torch, and waiting for everyone to file in. Tania, on the other hand, watched in horror as Lucas and Farvon entered with no hesitance whatsoever.

Now she was left alone with Ryder. She turned and looked at him suspiciously.

The silence was deafening. Despite the mask, Tania knew that he was staring back.

It was he who broke the silence. "If anyone here has the right to be suspicious," he said coolly, "it should be me. I have just revealed a secret passage to you, and I've only met you today."

She raised an eyebrow. "So why did you do it?" she challenged.

He replied with a voice that revealed no emotion. "Because Farvon trusts you completely, and whoever Farvon trusts, I trust as well. So enter. We must not linger out here."

Tania paused. Then, after looking at him warily for the last time, she took her horse's reins and entered the tunnel. Her stallion made a ruckus more than the others, but she managed to calm him down. She waited in the dark for Ryder, who followed a few seconds later, with his own horse.

He muttered something inaudible once more, and the slab of rock smoothly rolled back in place.

The dark was endless. Tania suddenly felt short of breath. She did not like the dark, and _that_, added to a closed space with limited air, was _not_ a delightful experience. She found herself walking quite close to Ryder, who was holding the only source of light available. The others were too far ahead.

She never liked having to rely on someone other than herself, but in this case, she had no choice.

* * *

It was dark inside the tunnel. Tania couldn't see more than four feet ahead of her. There was a cold draft, but she didn't know _how _there could be draft, since they were in a closed area. 

All that could be heard were her footsteps and the horses' hoofbeats echoing throughout the stone walls. Ryder, as usual, was remarkably silent. It was as if he was on a hunt, treading the ground soundlessly and eyeing the deer before him like some predator…

"How long have you known Farvon?"

Tania started. Since he had been quiet for the past few minutes, his voice startled her. He spoke quietly, with a low and formal tone in his tenor voice. She wondered why he was so _sociable _all of a sudden.

"Four months," she replied, looking at him carefully, though pointlessly. His mask hid whatever expression was on his face. (And his voice also revealed nothing.)

"Four months," he echoed. "Not long at all. How could he make a judgment about you in such a short amount of time?"

"Because I _am _trustworthy!" Tania replied hotly.

He chuckled. "Yes," he said, still as impassive as ever, "that's what they all say."

She glared at him. "Are you always this mistrustful of every new person you meet?"

"I'm not mistrustful," he replied calmly. "Just very careful."

She rolled her eyes. "There is no difference," she retorted. Sensing him glance briefly at her, she waited for a comeback.

There was none. He remained silent.

She looked at him curiously. "Does…does Farvon trust easily?" she asked.

"No," he replied instantly. "He is almost as cautious as me."

"Then I am a fortunate one."

"Very," he replied curtly. "I still do not understand how he can trust you so quickly, but since I have faith in Farvon, I will not doubt him."

She shot him a curious look. "How long have you known Farvon?"

He glanced at her, then said, "I've known him since I was a toddler. And when I was old enough, he became my trainer, which lasted for about eight years..."

"Wait a minute," Tania interrupted, "I do know that before moving to Devlin just a year ago, Farvon lived in Frell for twenty-two years. And since you knew him as a toddler and he became your trainer later on, this means…" She paused and glanced at him. Either he was _actually_ looking straight ahead, or he was _pretending_ to look straight ahead. There was a strong possibility that his eyes were on her.

When he did not say anything, she continued. "This means that _you _lived in Frell for quite some time." She looked at him intently. "You spent your childhood in Frell. And Farvon trained you there. And when it was all over, when you reached the point where you were just as good as him, maybe even _better_, you left and travelled all over Tierra, going on many missions and whatnot. That's how you and your knights became famous."

She stopped and waited to catch her breath. It had grown quieter than before, if that was even possible. Ryder still seemed to be looking straight ahead, but she had this strong suspicion that he was gazing right at her.

He was the one who broke the silence. "Impressive," he said, with a dangerous edge in his voice. "I suggest, Viper, that you don't reveal this information to anyone."

"No one knows that you're from Frell?" she said incredulously.

"No," he said flatly. "I would not have told you anything, but since Farvon has deemed you trustworthy, I decided that there would be no harm in doing so." He turned to her, and this time, she knew that he was _actually _looking at her. "Do _not_ tell anyone."

"All right," she said, a bit irritably. "Calm down."

"You don't understand," he said coldly, "I do not want _anyone_ knowing of my connection with Frell."

She stared at him. "Ryder," she began, "you trust me because Farvon trusts me. I trust you because Farvon trusts you. Do you actually think I would—_could_—betray someone who is close to Farvon?"

"Many people in this world are heartless," he said bluntly. "Many don't care about what they are asked to do, just as long as they are rewarded with money, power, or whatever they want."

Tania narrowed her eyes at him. He had practically accused her of potentially being one of _them_! "Well," she replied with an icy voice, "if I find out one day that I happen to be one, I'll let you know." She sent him a fierce glare and picked up her pace.

_The nerve of him! _she thought angrily. _He may be a legendary fighter, but he has no right to act as if he's my superior!_

"I wouldn't try to walk so fast if I were you," he drawled from behind. "In a few moments, the tunnel will split into three passageways. You better stick with me, if you don't want to get lost."

"Maybe I'd rather get lost than spend one more moment with you," she muttered under her breath. But despite this, she stopped walking and allowed him to catch up with her.

They started walking together once more. No conversation passed between them this time. Tania made sure to walk as far away from him as she could.

Finally, they reached the part where the tunnel separated into three passageways. They were equally dark. None of them gave her comfort. She couldn't even _try_ to guess which one led to the palace.

"Left," Ryder said quietly.

They turned left. They walked quietly, side by side. Tania looked straight ahead determinedly, no doubt trying to forget the man walking oh-so-gracefully beside her. (The torch was just floating by itself; that was all.)

After a few minutes, Ryder broke the silence once again. It surprised Tania, but that did not stop her from scowling.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. Like her, he was looking straight ahead. "I cannot help being suspicious of everything. A year of travelling all over Tierra has given me many enemies, some who are extremely dangerous."

Tania turned her head slightly towards him. "I understand," she replied wearily. "But I am not one of them, Ryder."

He remained silent. Tania sighed and patted her horse distractedly.

_This is a long route, _she thought. _How long have we been walking in here? Are we almost there?_

She suddenly felt a sharp jerk. Tania wheeled around and glared Ryder, whose hand was wrapped around her arm. Whether the glare had an effect on him, she didn't know.

"What are you doing?" she hissed.

"If I hadn't stopped you, you would have hit the stone door after a few more steps," he replied coolly. "You should be thankful."

She scowled as she watched Ryder step forward. Then, like before, he muttered something under his breath. This time, however, she actually heard what came out of his mouth: _avratud. _He said _avratud_, which meant "open" in fairy language. There was no doubt that the enchantment of all the secret doors was created by fairies, but how was Ryder connected to them? Did he and his knights just happen to find these passages, or were they created for their convenience?

_The King obviously has very close ties with Ryder and the others, _Tania thought. _He trusts them completely. _She frowned. _Who _is_ Ryder? How can he be _this_ powerful? To have the blessing of one of the most powerful kings in Tierra…_

Since she was lost in her thoughts, she didn't realize that she was already standing in a circular brick room, and the secret door was camouflaged among the bricks. She only snapped out of it when Ryder nudged her on the shoulder.

"Where do you want to go?" he asked.

She looked at him confusedly. "Excuse me?"

"Where do you want to go?" he repeated, just as calmly as before. "I will take your horse and mine to the stables."

She shrugged. "Anywhere," she replied.

"Fine," he said with a shrug. "You can go to the library." He approached the brick wall, where unlit torches were hanging all around. He reached out for one torch and pulled it. A cluster of bricks separated itself from the wall and revealed a narrow passageway. Ryder stepped back and gestured towards the new passage.

"This will lead to the library," he explained. "Just follow it, wherever it leads you. The moment you reach the end, there will be a very small hole for you to peek through. Look through it to make sure that no one is present in the library. When you are positive that all is safe, pull a small lever, hidden at the bottom-right corner of the door. On the other side, you close the door by pulling the torch on the right side. Do you understand?"

Tania nodded dazedly. She never thought about the idea of secret passageways in the palace…which was silly, since the palace was where the royal family lived, and the availability of many escape routes _was_ imperative, if the need to use them ever arose.

She turned to Ryder. "You're going to the stables?" she said. "Won't they find it strange to see a masked man putting the horses away?"

"Well," he said (and she could have sworn his voice had a teasing tone to it), "did they find _you _strange?"

She scowled. "That's different. I came with Farvon."

"Don't worry about me," he said dismissively. "I'll be fine. And as for your training with me, I will meet you at the training field at four o'clock—yes, I have not forgotten. Don't be late, all right?"

She gave him a look, and after a short nod, proceeded down the passage.

The passage wasn't as dark as the previous one. It was only dim, no more than that. She walked cautiously, her footsteps echoing throughout the walls.

She reached the endshortly . When she did, she did just as she was instructed to do: she peered through the hole, and when she saw that all was safe, she bent down and pulled the lever.

The door elevated. She passed through quickly, then pulled the torch. The door closed…except it wasn't a door. It was a wooden bookcase, completely filled with real books.

She smiled and shook her head._Clever._

* * *

Five minutes to four, Tania headed down to the training field. It was packed: there were at least a hundred men in there, practising with their swords, daggers, bows, and many more. The tournament was going to start very soon, and the number of competitors from all over Tierra was still increasing as it drew nearer and nearer. 

It was easy to find Ryder. All she did was approach a very big crowd. She pushed her way through and saw Ryder at the centre, duelling with someone and winning oh-so-easily. She could have sworn his popularity was greater than Farvon.

"I've never seen such speed," someone beside her commented.

Tania turned. She froze when she caught sight of a young man with chestnut brown hair (very similar to hers) and emerald green eyes.

Ethan?

She narrowed her eyes and looked at him carefully. No. Not Ethan. This man's jaw was sharper than Ethan's. The resemblance, however, was uncanny.

She realized now that this was the man, the man she saw fighting on her first day in Frell. The one who shebelieved to beEthan. She breathed a sigh of relief, glad that she had been wrong all along.

"Do you know who he is, Viper?" he asked her.

She looked at him in surprise. "You know me?"

He burst out laughing. "Everyone knows you, Viper. You are the young boy on the road to being a great warrior. The apprentice of a famous warrior. The one who hides his face." He gazed at her curiously. "Why do you wear a mask, Viper?"

"I have a hideous scar on my right cheek and my bottom lip droops," Tania said dryly.

He shot her a look, then turned back to the duel and said, "Do you know who that black fighter is?"

"Of course," she said. "It is Ryder." She applauded along with the others (though she did her applause half-heartedly) when Ryder obviously won.

"He is only here for a two or three days," her companion said. "He will not be in the tournament. He is only here for a quick stopover."

Tania remained silent as Ryder's words of "I won't be leaving Frell anytime soon" ran through her mind.

"Viper! Viper!" someone shouted, snapping Tania out of her reverie.

Tania turned. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw that it was Garret, still looking as ruggedly handsome as ever. Behind him were his usual companions, save Brynn.

So they had found Viper at last.

"Yes?" she said.

Garret grinned roguishly at her and said, "None of us have seen you fight yet."

There were murmurs of agreement. Tania raised an eyebrow. _Why should they care if they've seen me fight or not? I'm not part of the tournament._

"So?"

"Well," Garret said, "you are the great Farvon's apprentice, and we would like to see how good you are. May I challenge you to a friendly duel?"

"Lucas is also an apprentice," Tania replied. "Ask him."

"We have already seen him fight," one of the men from the crowd said impatiently. He was short and stocky, with a bald head and a lot of ear piercings. "And he is not here. Lucas is very good indeed, but we are curious to know about _you_. How good can a mere _boy_ be?" He snorted. "You should be playing with a wooden sword, with the other _children_. You don't belong with the _men_."

Tania stared speechlessly at him, hardly believing her ears. _Is he serious? Is he ACTUALLY serious?_

She was not the only one who was staring. Garret and his companions looked very annoyed, while the man beside her, the one who looked a lot like Ethan, had a twitching jaw muscle. She would have laughed if she had not been so shocked by the man's boldness.

Ryder was a complete mystery. Tania had no idea what was going through his mind.

"Are you serious?" she asked the bald man quietly. No one would have heard her if it hadn't been so devastatingly quiet.

The man burst into booming laughter. "I challenge you to a duel," he said loudly. "No doubt I'll beat you in ten seconds or less."

"Are you _actually _serious?" Tania asked, still stunned. She just couldn't believe this man's narrow-mindedness. It was…incredible.

"Yes, I am perfectly serious!" he shouted. "Jargins never jokes around! Fight me! Fight Jargins!" He smirked. "Or are you scared?"

"Uh…no," she replied to _Jargins_. (At the same time, she wondered why he just referred to himself in third person.) "Should I be?"

His smirk grew wider. "Yes."

"Okay, then. I'm petrified."

There were a few snickers in the background. Jargin's face turned beet red. He growled and pulled his sword out, stepping boldly to the centre. The previous fighters left the ring silently and placed themselves at the sideline.

Jargins beckoned her with his finger. "Come and fight me," he taunted. "Let's see if you can."

Tania shot him a strange look, then shrugged and unsheathed her sword. All this she did so calmly. As she was about to proceed to the centre, Ryder approached her and whispered so that only she could hear, "I've never seen a better pig to defeat."

She smiled at him, then walked on.

Jargins grinned sinisterly at her. She tried not to shiver when she saw his stained, rotten teeth. "I'm ready to crush you," he announced haughtily.

She shot him another strange look, then turned to Garret. "I'll fight you afterwards, all right?" she said pleasantly.

Garret, still looking rather annoyed with Jargins, gave her a tight smile. "All right."

She turned to Jargins and nodded at him. "I'm ready."

When Ryder spoke up, no one questioned his authority. "On the count of three," he said firmly. "One…two…"

Tania and her opponent assumed their fighting stance.

"…three!"

Jargins actually _snarled_ and leaped forward. Tania ducked as he swiped for her neck. She regarded him with a strange expression on her face, while avoiding his attacks easily. She wasn't even using her sword yet. It was only when he did the downward swinging cut when she did the counterattack.

He was actually snorting like a raving bull as he gave her attack after every attack. All Tania was thinking about was her opponent's crazy peculiarity as he charged at her like a madman. Unfortunately, his anger was not doing anything to improve his moves.

When she sidestepped to her left and parried his move, the roles switched. She was attacking now, and he defending. She decided not to put all her strength in her attacks. After all, there was Garret to fight after this. She was nervous about him, unlike with Jargins. With Jargins, she was just plain…confused. If that was the right word to use.

Tania swiped for his neck; he ducked, and she did a low kick to the knees. He managed to avoid it; she jumped to the side and thrust her sword to his abdomen. He dodged it, then blocked her other attack.

The duel went on. Tania could have finished him off, but she decided to humour him. Besides, she didn't want him to be humiliated more than he already was. She was afraid of him losing all traces of sanity if she finished him off so quickly and effortlessly.

However, since the duel could not go on forever, she disarmed him swiftly and painlessly. His sword flew in the air, and she caught it with her free hand.

The audience applauded. Tania knew that it wasn't a real duel, so she found no pleasure in the congratulation. She didn't deserve to be praised for something so insignificant. She turned and offered Jargins's sword back to him.

"Here," she said quietly.

He snatched it off her hand with a dark scowl on her face.

"It was a good duel," she said. She then turned to Garret. "Ready for that duel you proposed? We can—"

A strong force hit her all of a sudden. She gasped as the heavy impact knocked the breath out of her lungs.She fell to the ground hard and cringed when she felt a sharp pain on her shoulder.

When she looked up, she saw Jargins standing before her, a very fierce scowl on his face. Deep anger was in his eyes.

Moving quickly, he reached out…

…and ripped her mask off.


	8. Surprise, Surprise

A/N:

Yes, it's finally here. And I know that I haven't updated for a long time. I do have a good reason, though it's personal. I'm a bit better now. Anyway, thank you very much for your reviews! Love ya, love ya, love ya:

**Emtec; LISA; pheboe; bubbles; leRoy; Youkoforever; me, myself, n, eye; Shokhida; Hiii; silentwriter22; shaz; rose; shadowed ambience; shopping; xl-twisted-lx; Cariwyn: **Hehe, yeah. I meant from "A Happy Ending?" And I try to update at least twice a month, but as you can tell, I'm not really faithful to that. It actually depends on how much time I have or how motivated I am. And thank you!** Pabo; shopping: **Thank you so much! I hope so, but no, I'm not good enough. But thanks anyway!** lady gwen: **No way will I kill you! It's seriously fine. I understand. :-) Anyway, thank you very much for the support!** Sirael; starliss-flower; Lady Emma; Hazelnuts: **You lucky, lucky girl! Yes, I love horses, but I don't own one. Weird? Well, I am weird, no surprise there. May I ask a favour? If I have a question about horses, can I email you? Anyway, how long is this story going to be? Well, I was thinking of making this a three-part series. And I'm thinking of making the third title "Sacred Blood," but I'm not sure yet. Lol, you're the very first one to know that! And yeah, when I read that flame, I was kinda pissed at first, but then I thought, "Why be mad over something so insignificant?" After that, I pretty much had fun writing a sarcastic reply to her. I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm always full of sarcasm. Bad habit.**; shopping101; QueenSabriel5; sonchika; blue-hello-kitty; CaptainFantastic; Elyse Bennet; bella; Lalaith; heatherika; wonderxwoman; fairypixie3; Kat; awaiting impatient person: **Lol, you have so many interesting suggestions. I'll keep them in mind. Thank you:-)**; grl76; Gaerwen; Ginevra lily; starrlightlin7; whew!; sarah; Burning Twilight: **Yup, yup, Thank You! And yeah, FB is supposed to have loose ends. Everything will be solved later on.** FyAnnwn; jar4christ; CoNcReTeGiRl: **Lol, you're hilarious. And sorry about the cliffhangers.** ntabassum92; stubble96; dancrchick; Skeet; jaioublie: **I changed the line! You're right, it did sound awkward. **smartblondee; Crazayladay; Danna: **Yes, yes, he will. Someday. Hehehe.**; azurestarr; kkroonie; violingirl7; flammingirl; Kola-Pup; whiskeygirl; Vanessa-Black and Zabini; b2okworm1; The-Ever-Lazy-One; Basketball Girl; ChasesChick: **Your email doesn't work. I tried replying to you, but it wouldn't let me send my message.** Belle Quest; Eclectus: **Hmmm… I don't know want to do with Jargins yet.** caronee; slickchick650; secludeddark: **You're okay with short chapters:-) And I'm so sorry for not updating any sooner!** A Vision**

**_If I missed you, then tell me. (smiley face)_**

**ANNOUNCEMENTS (and whatnot):**

1) Who is Ryder? Well, based on your reviews, half of you think it's Darrin, and half of you think it's the prince. This is killing me. I'm tempted to just blurt it out, but I can't.

2) A Happy Ending: two paragraphs done (unfortunately); Not For Me: eight pages done and counting; my other stories: nothing done.

3) When is DARRIN coming back? Um…my estimate would be never. Lol, just kidding. In a couple chapters or so…which doesn't really reveal anything.

4) I'm sorry about always leaving cliffhangers. It's a habit. Be warned: this chap has a cliffhanger…I think. Well, no, not really. I don't think it is a cliffhanger.

5) I lied. It's not Nalyan, but it's not Caelion either. Why can't I get Lucas's nickname for Tania right? Probably because it's an important part of the story…shhhh…

**Chapter 8: Surprise, Surprise**

It felt as if time itself froze. There was a collective gasp from the crowd, followed by the heaviest silence that ever existed. At least that was what it felt like to Tania. As she lay there, breathing heavily, the horrors of what would happen next—what they were going to do her—flooded her mind. The feminine features of her face were now out in the open.

_I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead…_

She stood up slowly and quietly. Each pair of eyes followed her every move. It was like reliving her life at Déoras, though this time, they were gawking at her for a different reason.

Jargins was the one who broke the ringing silence. A stream of curses left his mouth. "A **_GIRL_**! I was fighting a **_GIRL_**! A stupid, pathetic **_WENCH_**!" he screamed crazily.

Then a quiet but commanding voice cut him off: "Yet she was still able to beat _you_."

It was silent once more, only it was tenser this time. Ryder always seemed to have that effect on people. He was commanding, intimidating, powerful. Tania didn't know whether he did it purposely or not.

Jargins glared at Ryder, though it was a weak glare because there was evident fear in his eyes. "This d-doesn't count," he stuttered. "I was…I was fighting a **_GIRL_**!"

"A fact that everyone is now aware of, so stop repeating it, you jerk," Tania muttered angrily.

Jargins's glare intensified once he turned to her. "SHUT UP!" he screamed, clenching his fists. "You little—"

A huge blow cut him off. The punch landed right on his jaw and knocked him unconscious. He hit the ground hard and stayed there, yet no one moved from their spot.

"Are you okay?" the hitter asked, turning to Tania.

Tania nodded. "Yes," she replied. "Thanks, Lucas."

Lucas smiled at her. "Anytime, Tania."

That was the first time her real name was said in public. There was more silence after that. Tania bit her lip and shifted from one foot to the other. _Why_ were they still staring at her? "Well," she said, pulling her hood off, "I guess I'm going to…um…go."

No one responded. Tania nodded awkwardly and walked away.

The men parted for her as she walked through them.

* * *

A few hours later and the whole palace knew about Farvon's apprentice. It was seriously like reliving life at Déoras for Tania. Once again, she was being stared at, gawked at, and gaped at. It was so…so…_infuriating_!

"Tania?"

The door opened, and Lucas entered.

"What do you want, Lucas?" Tania said wearily.

"It's time for supper," he replied. "Come downstairs."

"I'm not hungry."

Lucas shook his head. "I knew that that was going to be your answer. And Farvon did, too. 'crian," he said sternly, "just because everyone knows who you are now does not mean that you should mope and sulk for the rest of your life. So they know that you're a girl…but who cares?"

Her eyes widened. "Who cares?" she echoed. "Are you kidding?"

He shrugged. "Why let them bother you? Do you actually care about what people think?"

"I don't want to be made fun of," Tania said dryly. "And I don't want people gossiping about me, Lucas."

"Well," he replied, "there's nothing you can do about that. People talk, but you can't let it bother you. Just don't pay attention to any of them."

Tania sighed. "I'm just annoyed that it's happening all over again."

This sparked Lucas's curiosity. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing," she replied immediately.

He shrugged. "Fine. Just come down for dinner. Show everyone how calm and aloof you can be. Do you know how much that will intimidate them?"

"No…"

"Well, it will intimidate them a lot. So come down, all right?"

"Fine," Tania said with a sigh, "I'll come down."

"Good," Lucas replied, placing a brotherly kiss on her forehead and giving her a brief hug, "see you downstairs."

When he was gone, Tania headed over to her closet and randomly picked a dress. It turned out to be a dark red one; its style was similar to her light green dress, only this time, the sleeves were painfully tight. She let out unattractive grunts as she struggled to put it on. She succeeded in the end, though it took her awhile to tie up the strings at the back.

For the first time ever, she let her hair down. The dark brown waves barely grazed her shoulders. She was sure that a few ladies were going to faint tonight. Long hair was considered beautiful. She had short hair. Doing the math wasn't hard.

Finally, she managed to force herself out of her room. As she walked towards the dining hall, she met a few servants on the way, many who greeted her politely, but with a lingering stare. As Tania greeted them back, she was surprised to find how easy it was to remain…calm. Unaffected.

_Thanks for your inspiring speech, Lucas, _she thought with amusement.

Then she was by the doors of the dining hall. A guard was stationed on either side. She nodded to them, and they responded by reaching for a handle each and pulling it.

The noise that the doors made was too loud for Tania's liking, but since there was nothing she could do about that, she stopped cursing the loud doors and walked in.

Silence once more. People had stopped talking the moment she entered. Why was she ALWAYS greeted by silence?

_No matter, _she thought wryly. _I'm used to it now, aren't I?_

_Yes, I am._

With this thought in mind, she raised her chin (almost in a defiant way) and made her way to the table. They followed her every move.

Finally, the King himself spoke. "Ah, Tania!" he said pleasantly. "How nice to see you! Everyone, this is Tania, Farvon's apprentice, whom you have heard of for sure. And I'll have you know that I am very proud of her. She will be a great warrior"—at this point, the King's voice had gone from pleasant to strangely commanding, as if he was daring anyone to contradict him—"and she shall continue her training, _female or not_. Is that clear?"

There were nods and murmurs. Tania met the King's eyes, and he smiled encouragingly at her. She smiled back and mouthed a thank you. King Charmont was extremely powerful. It was nice to have him on her side.

She took her seat beside Lucas. On the other side was a girl her age. Her blond hair was done up very stylishly, and her pale blue dress was nice and fashionable. No doubt that she was a noble. Only the most important people dined at the King's table. It made Tania wonder what _she_, a mere apprentice, was doing there.

Dinner was surprisingly pleasant. It was as if everything completely changed the moment King Charmont gave his little speech. People were actually being cordial towards her. It was shocking.

The dinner table was long and full of people. Therefore, it was natural that the table should hold more than fifteen conversations. That was what happened during most of the time. Yes, most. During the main course, the numerous topics of conversation suddenly turned into one: Ryder.

"It is a shame, really," said an earl (or was it a duke?). "I thought he was going to stay for the tournament."

"Ryder doesn't need to prove himself," another said with a laugh. "He is already a legend."

"It is too bad that he already left," Lord Someone said. "I wanted to have at least one duel with him."

"Well, it's good that…"

"Wait," interrupted a voice from the table. "Ryder already left?"

Everyone turned to Tania. Tania, realizing her rudeness, blushed and muttered an apology. "Forgive me. I didn't mean to interrupt."

People smiled at her. The man she interrupted even released a chuckle and said, "It's all right, my lady. And yes, he left. We all saw him leave on that black stallion of his. He said he couldn't stay long because he had matters to deal with over at Ayortha."

"Oh," Tania said, frowning visibly, "all right."

"Did you know him well, Lady Tania?" the girl beside her asked.

Tania was startled to finally hear the girl speak. That was the first time. She smiled and shook his head. "No," she replied, "I did not know him well."

The girl nodded and remained silent. The conversation about Ryder ended there. After a brief pause, people went back to their separate conversations. Tania found that she had no one to talk to. Lucas was busy talking to the man next to him about the upcoming tournament. So, naturally, she turned to the girl next to her.

"I'm Tania," she said, trying to sound as friendly as she could.

Even though the girl gave her the tiniest smile, it reached her emerald green eyes. "I'm Aryel. My father is the one over there," she said, nodding towards the direction of the King. Tania turned and noticed the man sitting next to Farvon. He had the same green eyes that Aryel had.

All of a sudden, the doors opened, and a girl slightly younger than Tania came rushing in. Her long, curly hair looked a lot like the King's. Could this be the Princess of Kyrria? How surprising if it was. Her hair, though beautiful, was unruly, and she had sweat pouring down her face and neck. Her dress, though elegant, had soot on them.

"Eileen!" Queen Ella said in disbelief. "What did I tell you?"

"I'm so sorry, Mother!" Eileen replied, sounding truly remorseful. "I was outside and I lost track of time…"

"We'll have a talk later, Eileen," the Queen said firmly. "For now, take a seat."

Princess Eileen was about to do so when her vivid brown eyes suddenly met Tania's. A look of shock and wonder appeared on her face. "It's you!" she cried, quickly heading over to Tania's end of the table (and no doubt forgetting what her mother just asked her to do). "Are you Viper? Tania? Or whichever!" She paused and took a deep breath. Tania supposed that the girl had a lot of energy. "Are you Farvon's apprentice?"

Tania shot her a strange look. "Um…yes?"

The girl's eyes widened. "Oh…WHOA!" She looked at Tania as if she was a war hero. "It's so nice to meet you! I'm Eileen! Well," she said with a roll of her eyes, "_Princess _Eileen, but if you don't want to run out of breath, then just Eileen! After all, saying two extra syllables is so tiring, isn't it?"

"I suppose so…"

"Forgive me if this is too forward of me, Tania—oh, I'm so sorry! May I call you Tania?"

Tania was still confused. "Sure…"

Eileen smiled at her. "Thank you! Anyway, I'm so sorry if this is too forward of me, Tania, but perhaps we can meet up tomorrow and train together?"

"Eileen!"

"Yes, Father?"

"Sit down. You two can continue your conversation later." The King's voice was firm and filled with authority. Tania actually became scared for Eileen, but the princess seemed unperturbed by it.

"Yes, Father, I'm sorry," she merely said, without faltering. Then she turned to Tania. "May I talk to you later, Tania?"

Tania nodded. "All right."

"Thank you!" With that, the Princess of Kyrria walked to her seat in a proper, princess-like way (but Tania could have _sworn _that the girl was actually mocking it), and sat down beside her mother (who leaned over to whisper something in her ear). Throughout this whole process, the princess acted as if she was unaware of everyone's eyes on her. Tania found herself impressed.

The moment Eileen sat down, everyone resumed to normal conversation, as if her coming late and looking inappropriate for the table was part of a daily routine.

* * *

After dinner, Tania was waiting with Aryel by the doors. She still had to have that conversation with the princess, who was currently talking to her parents, while Aryel was waiting for her father, who was talking to Farvon.

"You're probably wondering why everyone here accepted you so quickly," Aryel spoke up, breaking the silence between them. "I know it seemed as if we were shunning you at the beginning, but really, we weren't. You just caught us off-guard, that's all. Farvon never trained a girl before, and people never expected him to."

"Well, yes," Tania replied. "I am a bit surprised."

Aryel smiled. "The answer is right there," she said, nodding towards the royal family.

Tania frowned as she watched the King and Queen have a discussion with Eileen. Then it dawned on her. "Eileen?" she said. "It's because of Eileen?"

Aryel chuckled. "Yes," she replied. "Eileen is just like you. She rides war-horses and trains whenever she can. She has had that attitude since she was very young. Of course, people were bothered by it at first, but now we're used to it. That's why not many are bothered by _you_. I guess you can say that Kyrria is less uptight about the roles of men and women."

"It is odd though," Tania said. "Eileen is a princess…"

Aryel burst out laughing. "Yes, she is a princess, but she can't help being who she is, Tania. Plus, with the influence of her brother…"

"Jaeden?" Tania cut in. "Prince Jaeden?"

"Yes," Aryel said, with a mild blush on her cheeks, "Prince Jaeden."

"He wasn't at the table, was he?"

Aryel shook her head. "No. He's in Ayortha right now. You have heard of the tradition right?"

Tania nodded. "Yes. Spending a year in each other's court."

"But he's coming home the day after tomorrow. His year there has recently ended."

"And what do you mean when you said, 'Plus, with the influence of her brother'?"

Aryel looked at her confusedly. "You've never heard of Prince Jaeden?"

Tania shrugged. "I've heard a little about him."

"Well, he is an extremely skilled warrior. But before being devoted to the arts of combat, he was the most mischievous boy to ever walk this kingdom. When Farvon volunteered to train him, the King and Queen readily agreed. The Prince was ten years old at that time." She grinned. "After that, the palace finally became safe. Prince Jaeden spent most of his time training. I guess you could say that that was his…outlet. And he really excelled, Tania. He is considered one of the best warriors in Kyrria."

"Will he be competing in the tournament?"

Aryel smiled. "Yes, finally. This year will be his first time."

"How come he never competed before?"

Aryel shrugged. "I have no idea."

"Tania!" interrupted a familiar cheerful voice.

The girls turned and saw a grinning Eileen. Tania wondered if this girl was always happy. It seemed like it.

"Good evening, Eileen," Aryel greeted politely. Then she said to both: "I must be going now. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye, Aryel!" Eileen replied. When they were alone, she turned to Tania. "I must say that I admire you. I mean, come on! _Farvon _is your trainer! He never got the chance to train me because he was far too busy. You are lucky, Tania."

"Yes," Tania said with amusement. "Even now, I'm still surprised to have him as my mentor."

"Jaeden trained under his guidance," Eileen said, frowning pensively. "And do you know how _good _he is…?"

"I have a small idea," Tania said with a shrug.

"Well, he is amazing!" Her thoughtful frown turned into another grin. "I think he's better than Ryder, but of course, sibling love could be affecting my way of thinking," the princess said laughingly. "Anyway, if it's all right with you, can we meet up tomorrow and train together?"

"Sure," Tania replied. "What time?"

"How about noon?"

"Noon it is."

"Great!" Eileen exclaimed. "Meet me in the main garden. It will be just the three of us!"

Tania paused, wondering if the Kyrrian princess could count. "Um…three?" she said awkwardly.

"Yes, three," Eileen said. "Jaeden is coming home tomorrow, early in the morning. Mother and Father don't know. It's supposed to be a surprise. Is that all right with you, Tania?"

Tania frowned. "Yes…it's…fine…"

Her mind was saying otherwise. _NO, IT IS _**NOT**_! TRAIN AND FIGHT WITH THE _**PRINCE**_! ARE YOU _**KIDDING**_ ME!_

But the Kyrrian princess didn't know that.

* * *

When Tania woke up the next morning, she changed into a dress (Viper's outfit had become meaningless now) and went down. The palace was in an uproar. Servants were running around, frantically doing something here and there. It didn't take long for her to figure out that Prince Jaeden had probably arrived already; hence, the shocked and unprepared servants.

She was crossing the main garden when a group of five noble girls suddenly called her. Tania headed over to them with an obvious frown on her face. No doubt she was surprised for receiving attention.

"Good morning," she greeted politely. She had met these girls before, but as Viper.

"Good morning, Lady Tania," a pretty redhead said. She giggled. "My, you sure surprised us. But somehow, I already knew. I mean, I _knew_ there was something _wrong_ with you from the very beginning. So when I found out that you were a cross-dresser, I was only mildly surprised."

Tania put on a fake smile. "All right…"

"Anyway," said a blond, "you know that partner of yours…?"

"Lucas?"

"Yes. Him. Is he wealthy?"

Tania could hardly believe her ears. She stared at them, then coolly said, "No."

"Oh," she said flatly. She exchanged disgusted looks with the other girls and wrinkled her nose. "Then I pass," she announced airily.

Tania scowled. "He already did that to all of you a long time ago."

She walked away, her blood boiling at a dangerous level. _I can't believe them! They are the SHALLOWEST girls I have ever met in my entire life! Lucas is better than them! They should be thankful that I know how to control my temper! _

And because she was so lost in thought, she didn't notice a young man look at her curiously with his piercing, forest green eyes as she passed right by him.

* * *

Still fuming, Tania headed over to the stables and released Aurel from her stall. The grey-speckled mare seemed very happy about it. She tossed her head excitedly as Tania mounted.

"Stupid noble girls," she mumbled to herself.

They galloped off. Stable boys and other servants jumped out of the way as she rode towards the eastern gate. Once they were outside the palace walls, they rode through the forest and down Araven Road.

A few minutes later, they reached the base of the cliff, where there was a section of River Lucarno. The peaceful sound of the flowing waters barely managed to soothe Tania. She dismounted, then groaned out loud after realizing that she had forgotten to bring weapons to practise with. She had been too angry to think rationally. Well, she was _still_ angry.

_Great! _she mentally screamed. She sighed, collapsed wearily on the ground, and closed her eyes. The reddish leaves felt hard and crispy beneath her back, but she didn't care. She was still thinking about those noble girls.

_I can't believe those girls had the nerve to say that! So they disregard Lucas just because he's poor! ARGH! Unbelievable!_

Five minutes didn't even go by when she suddenly heard approaching hoofbeats. She didn't open her eyes or budge from her spot, but she did let her guard up.

_Great. Disturbance. Just SPLENDID. When am I going to get some peace!_

She raised an eyebrow when she heard the horse stop only three metres away from her. The rider dismounted, and her wariness increased. Finally, when she heard the new arrival approach her slowly, she opened her eyes and sat up quickly.

Green eyes. Forest green eyes. Tania found herself gazing speechlessly at them. They were intense, yet they revealed no emotion. But the colour was beautiful. It was such a rare green…yet she could have sworn she had seen it before.

The stranger's voice snapped her out of her reverie. "Am I intruding?" he asked. Though his voice was gentle (contrary to the aloofness in his eyes), there was also a smirk in it.

Tania, realizing that she had been ogling him like a love struck idiot, refrained from slapping herself. _All right, so what if he's extremely handsome? He could be serial killer! Looks don't tell everything! Snap out of it, you stupid, stupid…_

_Breathe._

"No," she said through gritted teeth. "Do I know you?"

He smiled. "Maybe not." He sat down next to her, making sure that there was appropriate space between them.

"Well," Tania said, a second after he took his seat, "I must be going." She stood up and dusted her dress.

A frown appeared on his face. "Am I really that intimidating?"

She raised an eyebrow. "No. I just have…a previous engagement."

His frown was suddenly replaced by a tiny smirk. "Or maybe I really _am_ intimidating you?"

Tania rolled her eyes. "Yes. How did you know?" she said dryly as she mounted Aurel.

The young man immediately got up. "I was jesting, my lady," he said. The corners of his lips were twitching, which Tania decided to ignore. _Why _was he still talking to her? Could he not see that she was in the worst mood?

"Do you really have a previous engagement?" he asked.

"I do!" she snapped, conveniently forgetting the fact that this previous engagement (with Eileen) was four hours away.

When Aurel began to trot, the man quickly mounted his dark brown stallion. Then he rode forward and blocked Tania's horse.

"What are you doing?" she said irritably.

He put on an innocent face. "I'm sorry, am I blocking you?"

She glared at him. "Don't be a child. Move."

"Look," he said, remaining exactly where he was, "how about introductions?"

Tania paused. Then she put on a wry smile. "Hi, I'm Cherry," she said bluntly. (Her thoughts: _Cherry! What the hell?_) She shook her head and pulled her reins to the left; her mare snorted and went around his stallion.

"Cherry? I don't believe you," he said, moving his horse forward once more and blocking hers.

"Well, congratulations, you're a good lie detector," she replied.

"Since we're giving code names here, you can call me Landon."

Tania snorted. "Whatever."

He scowled at her. "Why are you being so hostile?" he said, his voice now colder. Tania raised an eyebrow at him and manoeuvred her horse around once more.

"I'm angry about something, so leave me alone," she said, her voice also colder.

"It doesn't mean you should take your anger out on me," he retorted. He rode close beside her and observed the way she clenched her jaw.

"Will you _please _just leave me alone?" she said angrily. "Go to one of your women."

His eyes flashed dangerously. If had Tania seen it, she would have cowered. Good thing she didn't.

"Is that what you think of me?" he whispered, a dangerous edge in his voice. It brought shivers down Tania's spine, which surprised her. She turned and studied him for a brief moment, then bowed her head and mumbled an apology.

"Apology accepted," he said quietly. "And I am _not_ that kind of man."

"I know," she replied. "I know. Anyway, I have to go." She was about to gallop off, but he took her reins, preventing her from riding away.

"I'll be seeing you later," he said, looking straight into her eyes.

She snorted once more. "Right. And how would you know that?"

He smirked. "I have my ways," he said pleasantly. Too pleasantly. He dropped her reins. "See you later, Tania."

"See y—_WHAT_!" Tania burst out. "What did you call me?"

"Um…Tania?" he said, looking confused. "That is your name, right?"

She glared at him. "Oh, you're very funny." She narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?"

He grinned roguishly at her. "Like I said," he said, green eyes twinkling, "you can call me Landon."

* * *

Ten minutes before noon, Tania changed into Viper's outfit, excluding the mask. Then she went down to the main garden and stood somewhere where she could be seen, but wouldn't attract so much attention.

"Tania!"

She turned and saw Eileen heading towards her. She was wearing brown pants, a loose white shirt, black boots, and a black cloak. The people around seemed untroubled by it.

Tania grinned. _I'm really liking Kyrria._

"My brother should be coming soon," Eileen said cheerfully. She drew her sword and handed it to Tania. "Like my sword?"

A smile graced Tania's lips as she admired the weapon. "It's beautifully crafted. Who made this?"

"Someone named Caelan," the princess said casually, which made Tania look up. She studied the princess for a while, then smiled, mostly to herself, and turned her gaze back to the blade.

"He must be very skilled," she said, imitating the princess's casualness.

Eileen burst out laughing. "Caelan is a woman."

Tania smiled. "Really? Then good for her."

"Though I don't know where she is now," the fourteen-year-old said thoughtfully. Then she shrugged and put on her usual smile. "Anyway, this may seem like a random question, but where are you from, Tania?"

Tania started. "Croel," she replied. "It's a city in—"

"—Venesia," someone finished for her.

Tania immediately froze. The voice just sounded _too_ familiar. _No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no…_

Slowly, very slowly, she turned around. And gasped.

"Landon!"

The young man with piercing green eyes grinned at her. "Uh, no," he said amusedly. "Jaeden."

A/N:

But of course, you guys already knew that, right? Green eyes said it all. And you know what ficpress and fanfic should have? Forums. I would love to talk to other authors/readers about whatever.


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